THE  JAMES  K.    MOFFITT   FUND. 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


GIFT  OF 

JAMES  KENNEDY  MOFFITT 

OF  THE  CLASS  OF  '86. 


Deceived 

Accession  No. 


Class  No. 


357. 

I  A    /•    . 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT 


AND    I    AS    USURPER — A    NAMELESS    PAUPER,    A    TRAMP. 


THE 


AMERICAN   CLAIMANT 


BY 


MARK    TWAIN 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  L.  WEBSTER  &  CO. 
1892 


Copyright,  1892, 

S.    L.    CLEMENS, 

(All  rights  reserved. ) 

6  n 


PRESS   OF 

JENKINS  &  McCowAN, 

NEW    YORK, 


UII71EJITY 


EXPLANATORY 


THE  Colonel  Mulberry  Sellers  here  re-introduced  to 
the  public  is  the  same  person  who  appeared  as  Eschol 
Sellers  in  the  first  edition  of  the  tale  entitled  "  The 
Gilded  Age,"  years  ago,  and  as  Beriah  Sellers  in  the 
subsequent  editions  of  the  same  book,  and  finally  as 
Mulberry  Sellers  in  the  drama  played  afterward  by 
John  T.  Raymond. 

The  name  was  changed  from  Eschol  to  Beriah  to 
accommodate  an  Eschol  Sellers  who  rose  up  out  of  the 
vasty  deeps  of  uncharted  space  and  preferred  his  re 
quest—backed  by  threat  of  a  libel  suit— then  went  his 
way  appeased,  and  came  no  more.  In  the  play  Beriah 
had  to  be  dropped  to  satisfy  another  member  of  the 
race,  and  Mulberry  was  substituted  in  the  hope  that  the 
objectors  would  be  tired  by  that  time  and  let  it  pass 
unchallenged.  So  far  it  has  occupied  the  field  in  peace; 
therefore  we  chance  it  again,  feeling  reasonably  safe, 
this  time,  under  shelter  of  the  statute  of  limitations. 

MARK  TWAIN. 

Hartford,  1891. 


THE  WEATHER  IN  THIS  BOOK. 


No  weather  will  be  found  in  this  book.  This  is  an 
attempt  to  pull  a  book  through  without  weather.  It 
being  the  first  attempt  of  the  kind  in  fictitious  literature, 
it  may  prove  a  failure,  but  it  seemed  worth  the  while 
of  some  dare-devil  person  to  try  it,^and  the  author  was 
in  just  the  mood. 

Many  a  reader  who  wanted  to  read  a  tale  through 
was  not  able  to  do  it  because  of  delays  on  account  of 
the  weather.  Nothing  breaks  up  an  author's  progress 
like  having  to  stop  every  few  pages  to  fuss-up  the 
weather.  Thus  it  is  plain  that  persistent  intrusions  of 
weather  are  bad  for  both  reader  and  author. 

Of  course  weather  is  necessary  to  a  narrative  of  hu 
man  experience.  That  is  conceded.  But  it  ought  to 
be  put  where  it  will  not  be  in  the  way;  where  it  will 
not  interrupt  the  flow  of  the  narrative.  And  it  ought 
to  be  the  ablest  weather  that  can  be  had,  not  ignorant, 
poor-quality,  amateur  weather.  Weather  is  a  literary 
specialty,  and  no  untrained  hand  can  turn  out  a  good 
article  of  it.  The  present  author  can  do  only  a  few 
trifling  ordinary  kinds  of  weather,  and  he  cannot  do 
those  very  good.  So  it  has  seemed  wisest  to  borrow 
such  weather  as  is  necessary  for  the  book  from  quali 
fied  and  recognized  experts — giving  credit,  of  course. 
This  weather  will  be  found  over  in  the  back  part  of  the 
book,  out  of  the  way.  See  Appendix.  The  reader  is 
requested  to  turn  over  and  help  himself  from  time  to 
time  as  he  goes  along. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

The  Earl  of  Rossmore  vs.  the  American  Claimant — Viscount 
Berkeley  proposes  to  change  places  with  the  Claimant — 
The  Claimant's  letter — Lord  Berkeley  decides  to  visit 
America ...  17-25 

CHAPTER  II. 

Colonel  Mulberry  Sellers  and  his  art  gallery — He  receives  a 
visit  from  Washington  Hawkins — Talking  over  old  times 
— Washington  informs  the  colonel  that  he  is  the  congres 
sional  delegate  from  Cherokee  Strip 26-35 

CHAPTER  III. 

Mrs.  Sellers  pronounces  the  colonel  "the  same  old  scheming, 
generous,  good-hearted,  moonshiny,  hopeful,  no-account 
failure  he  always  was" — He  takes  in  Dan'l  and  Jinny — 
The  colonel  originates  "  Pigs  in  the  Clover" — He  offers 
one  of  his  art  treasures  to  propitiate  Suggs — One-armed 
Pete;  the  bank  thief 36-49 

CHAPTER  IV. 

A  Yankee  makes  an  offer  for  "  Pigs  in  the  Clover  " — By  the 
death  of  a  relative  Sellers  becomes  the  rightful  Earl  of 
Rossmore  and  consequently  the  American  Claimant — 
Gwendolen  is  sent  for  from  school — The  remains  of  the 
late  Claimant  and  brother  to  be  shipped  to  England — 
Hawkins  and  Sellers  nail  the  hatchments  on  "  Rossmore 
Towers"  50-56 

CHAPTER  V. 

Gwendolen's  letter — Her  arrival  at  home — Hawkins  is  intro 
duced,  to  his  great  pleasure — Communication  from  the 
bank  thief — Hawkins  and  Sellers  have  to  wait  ten  days 
longer  before  getting  the  reward — Viscount  Berkeley  and 
the  late  Claimant's  remains  start  simultaneously  from 
England  and  America 57-65 


Xll  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE 

Arrival  of  the  remains  of  late  Claimant  and  brother  in  England 
— The  usurping  earl  officiates  as  chief  mourner,  and  they 
are  laid  with  their  kindred  in  Cholmondeley  church — Sally 
Sellers  a  gifted  costume-designer — Another  communication 
from  the  bank  thief — Locating  him  in  the  New  Gadsby — 
The  colonel's  glimpse  of  one-armed  Pete  in  the  elevator — 
Arrival  of  Viscount  Berkeley  at  the  same  hotel  .  .  .  66-70 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Viscount  Berkeley  jots  down  his  "impressions"  to  date  with 
a  quill  pen — The  destruction  of  the  New  Gadsby  by  fire — 
Berkeley  loses  his  bearings  and  escapes  with  his  journaled 
"impressions"  only — Discovery  and  hasty  donning  of 
one-armed  Pete's  abandoned  wardrobe — Glowing  and  af 
fecting  account  in  the  morning  papers  of  the  heroic  death 
of  the  heir  of  Rossmore — He  will  take  a  new  name  and 
start  out  "incog" 71-76 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  colonel's  grief  at  the  loss  of  both  Berkeley  and  one-armed 
Pete — Materialization — Breaking  the  news  to  the  family — 
The  colonel  starts  to  identify  and  secure  a  body  (or  ashes) 
to  send  to  the  bereaved  father 77-83 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  usual  actress  and  her  diamonds  in  the  hotel  fire — The 
colonel  secures  three  baskets  of  ashes — Mrs.  Sellers  for 
bids  their  lying  in  state— Generous  hatchments — The 
ashes  to  be  sent  only  when  the  earl  sends  for  them  .  .  84-93 

CHAPTER  X. 

Lord  Berkeley  deposits  the  $500  found  in  his  appropriated 
clothes— Attends  "  Mechanics'  Debating  Club  "—Berkeley 
(alias  Tracy)  is  glad  he  came  to  this  country  ....  94-103 

CHAPTER  XL 

No  work  for  Tracy — Cheaper  lodgings  secured — Sleeping  on 
the  roof — "My  daughter  Hattie  " — Tracy  receives  further 
"impressions"  from  Hattie  (otherwise  "Puss") — Mr. 
Barrow  appears — And  offers  to  help  Tracy  find  work  .  104-117 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

CHAPTER  XII. 

PAGE 

A  boarding-house  dinner — "No  money,  no  dinner"  for  Mr. 
Brady — "How  did  you  come  to  mount  that  hat?" — A 
glimpse  of  (the  supposed)  one-armed  Pete — Extract  from 
Tracy's  diary 118-129 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Tracy  and  trades-unions — Unpopularity  with  fellow-boarders 
— Which  changes  to  popularity  on  his  punishing  Allen — 
The  cablegram 130—142 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

"Mechanics'  Debating  Club"  again — Tracy  is  comforted  by 
Barrow's  remarks — "Fool  or  no  fool,  he  would  grab  it" 
— "Earldom!  oh,  yes,  take  it  if  it  offers"  ....  143-152 

CHAPTER   XV. 

"You  forgot  to  pay  your  board"-  -"I've  been  robbed" — Mr. 
Allen  among  the  missing,  likewise  other  things — The 
cablegram:  "Thanks" — Despair  of  Tracy — "  You've  got 
to  amuse  your  mind" 153-161 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  collaborative  art  collection — The  artists — "  The  cannon's 

our  trademark" — Tracy's  mind  is  amused     ....      162-170 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

No  further  cablegram — "If  those  ghastly  artists  want  a  con 
federate,  I'm  their  man" — Tracy  taken  into  partnership — 
Disappointments  of  materialization  —  The  phonograph 
adapted  to  marine  service — Utilization  of  wasted  sewer 
gas 171-181 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  colonel's  project  to  set  Russia  free — "I  am  going  to  buy 
Siberia" — The  materializee  turns  up — Being  an  artist  he 
is  invited  to  restore  the  colonel's  collection — Which  he 
forthwith  begins 182-191 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  perplexities  and  nobilities  of  materialization — The  mate 
rializee-  eats  a  couple  of  apples — Horror  of  Hawkins  and 
Sellers— "It  must  be  a  mistake" 192-200 


XJV  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PAGE 

Tracy's  perplexities  with  regard  to  the  Claimant's  sanity — 
The  Claimant  interviews  him— Sally  Sellers  meets  Tracy 
— A  violent  case  of  love  at  first  sight — Pinks  .  .  .  201-208 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Empty  painting;  empty  millinerizing — Tracy's  work  satisfac 
tory — Sellers's  new  picture  of  Lord  Berkeley — "  He  is  a 
wobbler" — The  unsuccessful  dinner-parties — "They  flung 
their  arms  about  each  other's  necks" 209-224 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

"The  materializing  has  got  to  stop  where  it  is" — Sally  Sel 
lers  repudiates  "  Lady  Gwendolen" — The  late  Lord  Berke 
ley  Sally's  hero — "The  shady  devil  [Doubt]  had  knifed 
her" 225-235 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Tracy  writes  to  his  father — The  rival  houses  to  be  united  by 
his  marriage  to  Sally  Sellers — The  earl  decides  to  "step 
over  and  take  a  hand  " — "  The  course  of  true  love,"  etc., 
as  usual — "  You  an  earl's  son!  show  me  the  signs"  .  236-248 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Time  drags  heavily  for  all  concerned — Success  of  "  Pigs  in  the 
Clover  " — Sellers  is  "  fixed  "  for  his  temperance  lecture — 
Colonel  and  Mrs.  Sellers  start  for  Europe — Interview  of 
Hawkins  and  Sally — Tracy  an  impostor 249-261 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Telegram:  "  She's  going  to  marry  the  materializee  " — Inter 
view  between  Tracy  and  Sally — Arrival  of  the  usurping 
earl — "  You  can  have  him  if  you'll  take  him  " — A  quiet 
wedding  at  the  Towers — Sellers  does  not  join  the  party  to 
England — Preparing  to  furnish  climates  to  order  .  .  262-273 

APPENDIX. 
The  weather  in   this   book .     275-277 


(-USI7B 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

"  He  was  constructing  what  seemed  to  be  some  kind  of  frail  me 
chanical  toy." 27 

"  It  must  try  your  patience  pretty  sharply  sometimes." 38 

One-armed  Pete 51 

"  Father,  I  am  going  to  shake  hands  with  Major  Hawkins.".  ...  61 

"  Must  he  go  down  in  his  spectral  night  dress  ?  " 74 

"  Clah  to  goodness  it's  de  fust  time  I've  sot  eyes  on  'em." 88 

Parker,  assistant  editor  of  the  Democrat 95 

"  How  do  you  do?  " 109 

"  Both  were  so  paralyzed  with  joy." 124 

"  It  had  already  happened." 135 

"  His  thoughts  had  been  far  away  from  these  things." 144 

4 '  Fool  or  no  fool,  he  would  grab  it." 148 

"  No.  5  started  a  laugh." 162 

Capt.  Saltmarsh  and  brother  of  the  brush 165 

Wasted  sewer  gas 184 

"  Eastward  with  that  great  light  transfiguring  their  faces." 187 

It  was  a  violent  case  of  mutual  love  at  first  sight 204 

"  Time  dragged  heavily  for  both,  now." 210 

"  Oh,  my  God,  she's  kissing  it  !  " 222 

"  The  shady  devil  had  knifed  her." 234 

' '  You  an  earl' s  son  !     Show  me  the  signs. ' ' 243 

"My  father  !" 266 

"  Finally  there  was  a  q«uiet  wedding  at  the  Towers." 270 


5R3ITVV 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT, 


CHAPTER  I. 

IT  is  a  matchless  morning  in  rural  England.  On  a 
fair  hill  we  see  a  majestic  pile,  the  ivied  walls  and  tow 
ers  of  Cholmondeley  Castle,  huge  relic  and  witness  of 
the  baronfal  grandeurs  of  the  Middle  Ages  This  is 
one  of  the  seats  of  the  Earl  of  Rossmore,  K.  G.,  G.  C.  B., 
K.  C.  M.  G.,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  who  possesses 
twenty-two  thousand  acres  of  English  land,  owns  a 
parish  in  London  with  two  thousand  houses  on  its 
lease-roll,  and  struggles  comfortably  along  on  an  in 
come  of  two  hundred  thousand  pounds  a  year.  The 
father  and  founder  of  this  proud  old  line  was  William 
the  Conqueror  his  very  self;  the  mother  of  it  was  not 
inventoried  in  history  by  name,  she  being  merely  a  ran 
dom  episode  and  inconsequential,  like  the  tanner's 
daughter  of  Falaise. 

In  a  breakfast  room  of  the  castle  on  this  breezy  fine 
morning  there  are  two  persons  and  the  cooling  remains 
of  a  deserted  meal.  One  of  these  persons  is  the  old 
lord,  tall,  erect,  square-shouldered,  white-haired,  stern- 
browed,  a  man  who  shows  character  in  every  feature, 
attitude,  and  movement,  and  carries  his  seventy  years 
as  easily  as  most  men  carry  fifty.  The  other  person  is 
his  only  son  and  heir,  a  dreamy-eyed  young  fellow,  who 
looks  about  twenty-six  but  is  nearer  thirty.  Candor, 


I  8  THE  AMERICA*  CLAIMANT. 

kindliness,  honesty,  sincerity,  simplicity,  modesty — it  is 
easy  to  see  that  these  are  cardinal  traits  of  his  charac 
ter;  and  so  when  you  have  clothed  him  in  the  formi 
dable  components  of  his  name,  you  somehow  seem  to 
be  contemplating  a  lamb  in  armor:  his  name  and  style 
being  the  Honourable  Kirkcudbright  Llanover  Mar- 
joribanks  Sellers  Viscount  Berkeley,  of  Cholmondeley 
Castle,  Warwickshire.  (Pronounced  K'koobry  Thlan- 
over  Marshbanks  Sellers  Vycount  Barkly,  of  Chumly 
Castle,  Warrikshr.)  He  is  standing  by  a  great  win 
dow,  in  an.attitude  suggestive  of  respectful  attention  to 
what  his  father  is  saying  and  equally  respectful  dissent 
from  the  positions  and  arguments  offered.  The  father 
walks  the  floor  as  he  talks,  and  his  talk  shows  that  his 
temper  is  away  up  toward  summer  heat. 

41  Soft  -  spirited  as  you  are,  Berkeley,  I  am  quite 
aware  that  when  you  have  once  made  up  your  mind  to 
do  a  thing  which  your  ideas  of  honor  and  justice  re 
quire  you  to  do,  argument  and  reason  are  (for  the  time 
being,)  wasted  upon  you — yes,  and  ridicule,  persuasion, 
supplication,  and  command  as  well.  To  my  mind— 

4<  Father,  if  you  will  look  at  it  without  prejudice, 
without  passion,  you  must  concede  that  I  am  not  doing 
a  rash  thing,  a  thoughtless,  wilful  thing,  with  nothing 
substantial  behind  it  to  justify  it.  /did  not  create  the 
American  claimant  to  the  earldom  of  Rossmore;  I  did 
not  hunt  for  him,  did  not  find  him,  did  not  obtrude 
him  upon  your  notice.  He  found  himself,  he  injected 
himself  into  our  lives— 

44  And  has  made  mine  a  purgatory  for  ten  years  with 
IT'S  tiresome  letters,  his  wordy  reasonings,  his  acres  of 
tedious  evidence, — " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  .  19 

"  Which  you  would  never  read,  would  never  consent 
to  read.  Yet  in  common  fairness  he  was  entitled  to  a 
hearing.  That  hearing  would  either  prove  he  was  the 
rightful  earl— in  which  case  our  course  would  be  plain 
—or  it  would  prove  that  he  wasn't — in  which  case  our 
course  'would  be  equally  plain.  I  have  read  his  evi 
dences,  my  lord.  I  have  conned  them  well,  studied 
them  patiently  and  thoroughly.  The  chain  seems  to 
be  complete,  no  important  link  wanting.  I  believe  he 
is  the  rightful  earl." 

"And  I  a  usurper — a  nameless  pauper,  a  tramp! 
Consider  what  you  are  saying,  sir." 

"  Father,  z/he  is  the  rightful  earl,  would  you,  could 
you — that  fact  being  established — consent  to  keep  his 
titles  and  his  properties  from  him  a  day,  an  hour,  a 
minute  ? " 

"  You  are  talking  nonsense  --  nonsense  —  lurid 
idiotcy !  Now,  listen  to  me.  I  will  make  a  confession 
—if  you  wish  to  call  it  by  that  name.  I  did  not  read 
those  evidences  because  I  had  no  occasion  to — I  was 
made  familiar  with  them  in  the  time  of  this  claimant's 
father  and  of  my  own  father  forty  years  ago.  This 
fellow's  predecessors  have  kept  mine  more  or  less  fa 
miliar  with  them  for  close  upon  a  hundred  and  fifty 
years.  The  truth  is,  the  rightful  heir  did  go  to  Amer 
ica,  with  the  Fairfax  heir  or  about  the  same  time — but 
disappeared  somewhere  in  the  wilds  of  Virginia,  got 
married,  and  began  to  breed  savages  for  the  Claimant 
market;  wrote  no  letters  home;  was  supposed  to  be 
dead;  his  younger  brother  softly  took  possession; 
presently  the  American  did  die,  and  straightway  his 
eldest  product  put  in  his  claim — by  letter — letter  still 


2O  •    THE  AMKKICAX  CLAIMANT. 

in  existence — and  died  before  the  uncle  in  possession 
found  time — or  maybe  inclination — to  answer.  The 
infant  son  of  that  eldest  product  grew  up — long  inter 
val,  you  see — and  he  took  to  writing  letters  and  fur 
nishing  evidences.  Well,  successor  after  successor 
has  done  the  same,  down  to  the  present  idiot.  *  It  was 
a  succession  of  paupers  ;  not  one  of  them  was  ever 
able  to  pay  his  passage  to  England  or  institute  suit. 
The  Fairfaxes  kept  their  lordship  alive,  and  so  they 
have  never  lost  it  to  this  day,  although  they  live  in 
Maryland;  their  friend  lost  his  by  his  own  neglect. 
You  perceive  now,  that  the  facts  in  this  case  bring  us 
to  precisely  this  result  :  morally  the  American  tramp 
is  rightful  earl  of  Rossmore  ;  legally  he  has  no  more 
right  than  his  dog.  There  now — are  you  satisfied  ?  " 

There  was  a  pause,  then  the  son  glanced  at  the  crest 
carved  in  the  great  oaken  mantel  and  said,  with  a  re 
gretful  note  in  his  voice  : 

"Since  the  introduction  of  heraldic  symbols,  the 
motto  of  this  house  has  been  Suiun  cuique — to  every 
man  his  own.  By  your  own  intrepidly  frank  confes 
sion,  my  lord,  it  is  become  a  sarcasm.  If  Simon 
Lathers— 

"Keep  that  exasperating  name  to  yourself!  For 
ten  years  it  has  pestered  my  eye  and  tortured  my  ear  ; 
till  at  last  my  very  footfalls  time  themselves  to  the 
brain-racking  rhythm  of  Simon  LatJiers  ! — Simon  Lath 
ers  ! — Simon  Lathers  !  And  now,  to  make  its  presence 
in  my  soul  eternal,  immortal,  imperishable,  you  have 
resolved  to — to — what  is  it  you  have  resolved  to  do  ?  " 

"  To  go  to  Simon  Lathers,  in  America,  and  change 
places  with  him." 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT,  21 

"  What  ?  Deliver  the  reversion  of  the  earldom  into 
his  hands  ?  " 

"  That  is  my  purpose." 

"  Make  this  tremendous  surrender  without  even  try 
ing  the  fantastic  case  in  the  Lords  ?  " 

"  Ye — s — "  with  hesitation  and  some  embarrassment. 

"  By  all  that  is  amazing,  I  believe  you  are  insane, 
my  son.  See  here — have  you  been  training  with  that 
ass  again — that  radical,  if  you  prefer  the  term,  though 
the  words  are  synonymous  —  Lord  Tanzy,  of  Toll- 
mache  ?  " 

The  son  did  not  reply,  and  the  old  lord  continued  : 

"  Yes,  you  confess.  That  puppy,  that  shame  to  his 
birth  and  caste,  who  holds  all  hereditary  lordships  and 
privilege  to  be  usurpation,  all  nobility  a  tinsel  sham, 
all  aristocratic  institutions  a  fraud,  all  inequalities  in 
rank  a  legalized  crime  and  an  infamy,  and  no  bread 
honest  bread  that  a  man  doesn't  earn  by  his  own  work 
— work,  pah  !  " — and  the  old  patrician  brushed  imagin 
ary  labor-dirt  from  his  white  hands.  "  You  have  come 
to  hold  just  those  opinions  yourself,  I  suppose,"  he 
added  with  a  sneer. 

A  faint  flush  in  the  younger  man's  cheek  told  that 
the  shot  had  hit  and  hurt,  but  he  answered  with 
dignity— 

"  I  have.  I  say  it  without  shame — I  feel  none.  And 
now  my  reason  for  resolving  to  renounce  my  heirship 
without  resistance  is  explained.  I  wish  to  retire  from 
what  to  me  is  a  false  existence,  a  false  position,  and 
begin  my  life  over  again — begin  it  right — begin  it  on 
the  level  of  mere  manhood,  unassisted  by  factitious 
aids,  and  succeed  or  fail  by  pure  merit  or  the  want  of 


22  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

it.  I  will  go  to  America,  where  all  men  are  equal  and 
all  have  an  equal  chance  ;  I  will  live  or  die,  sink  or 
suini,  win  or  lose  as  just  a  man — that  alone,  and  not  a 
single  helping  gaud  or  fiction  back  of  it." 

"  Hear,  hear  !  "  The  two  men  looked  each  other 
steadily  in  the  eye  a  moment  or  two,  then  the  elder 
one  added,  musingly,  "  Ab-so-lutely  cra-zy — ab-so- 
lutely  !  "  After  another  silence,  he  said,  as  one  who, 
long  troubled  by  clouds,  detects  a  ray  of  sunshine, 
"  Well,  there  will  be  one  satisfaction — Simon  Lathers 
will  come  here  to  enter  into  his  own,  and  I  will  drown 
him  in  the  horsepond.  That  poor  devil — always  so 
humble  in  his  letters,  so  pitiful,  so  deferential;  so 
steeped  in  reverence  for  our  great  line  and  lofty  station; 
so  anxious  to  placate  us,  so  prayerful  for  recognition 
as  a  relative,  a  bearer  in  his  veins  of  our  sacred  blood 
— and  withal  so  poor,  so  needy,  so  threadbare  and 
pauper-shod  as  to  raiment,  so  despised,  so  laughed  at 
for  his  silly  claimantship  by  the  lewd  American  scum 
around  him — ach,  the  vulgar,  crawling,  insufferable 
tramp  !  To  read  one  of  his  cringing,  nauseating  let 
ters — well  ?  " 

This  to  a  splendid  flunkey,  all  in  inflamed  plush  and 
buttons  and  knee-breeches  as  to  his  trunk,  and  a  glint 
ing  white  frost-work  of  ground-glass  paste  as  to  his 
head,  who  stood  with  his  heels  together  and  the  upper 
half  of  him  bent  forward,  a  salver  in  his  hands  : 

"  The  letters,  my  lord." 

My  lord  took  them,  and  the  servant  disappeared. 

"  Among  the  rest,  an  American  letter.  From  the 
tramp,  of  course.  Jove,  but  here's  a  change  !  No 
brown  paper  envelop  this  time,  filched  from  a  shop 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  23 

and  carrying  the  shop's  advertisement  in  the  corner. 
Oh,  no,  a  proper  enough  envelop — with  a  most  osten 
tatiously  broad  mourning  border — for  his  cat,  perhaps, 
since  he  was  a  bachelor — and  fastened  with  red  wax— 
a  batch  of  it  as  big  as  a  half-crown — and — and — our 
crest  for  a  seal  ! — motto  and  all.  And  the  ignorant, 
sprawling  hand  is  gone  ;  he  sports  a  secretary,  evi 
dently — a  secretary  with  a  most  confident  swing  and 
flourish  to  his  pen.  Oh  indeed,  our  fortunes  are  im 
proving  over  there — our  meek  tramp  has  undergone  a 
metamorphosis." 

"  Read  it,  my  lord,  please." 

"  Yes,  this  time  I  will.     For  the  sake  of  the  cat  : 

14,042  SIXTEENTH  STREET, 

WASHINGTON,  May  2. 
My  Lord — 

It  is  my  painful  duty  to  announce  to  you  that  the  head 
of  our  illustrious  house  is  no  more — The  Right  Honourable,  The 
Most  Noble,  The  Most  Puissant  Simon  Lathers  Lord  Rossmore 
having  departed  this  life  ("  Gone  at  last — this  is  unspeakably 
precious  news,  my  son,")  at  hts  seat  in  the  environs  of  the  ham 
let  of  Duffy's  Corners  in  the  grand  old  State  of  Arkansas, — and 
his  twin  brother  with  him,  both  being  crushed  by  a  log  at  a 
smoke-house-raising,  owing  to  carelessness  on  the  part  of  all 
present,  referable  to  over-confidence  and  gaiety  induced  by  over 
plus  of  sour-mash — ("  Extolled  be  sour-mash,  whatever  that  may 
be,  eh  Berkeley  ?  ")  five  days  ago,  with  no  scion  of  our  ancient 
race  present  to  close  his  eyes  and  inter  him  with  the  honors  due 
his  historic  name  and  lofty  rank — in  fact,  he  is  on  the  ice  yet, 
him  and  his  brother — friends  took  up  a  collection  for  it.  But  I 
shall  take  immediate  occasion  to  have  their  noble  remains  ship 
ped  to  you  ("Great  heavens  !  ")  for  interment,  with  due  cere 
monies  and  solemnities,  in  the  family  vault  or  mausoleum  of  our 
house.  Meantime  I  shall  put  up  a  pair  of  hatchments  on  my 


24  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

house-front,  and  you  will  of  course  do  the  same  at  your  several 
seats. 

I  have  also  to  remind  you  that  by  this  sad  disaster  I  as  sole 
heir,  inherit  and  become  seized  of  all  the  titles,  honors,  lands,  and 
goods  of  our  lamented  relative,  and  must  of  necessity,  painful  as 
the  duty  is,  shortly  require  at  the  bar  of  the  Lords  restitution  of 
these  dignities  and  properties,  now  illegally  enjoyed  by  your 
titular  lordship. 

With  assurance  of  my  distinguished  consideration  and  warm 
cousinly  regard,  I  remain 

Your  titular  lordship's 

Most  obedient  servant, 
Mulberry  Sellers  Earl  Rossinore. 

"Im-mense!  Come,  this  one's  interesting.  Why, 
Berkeley,  his  breezy  impudence  is — is — why,  it's  colos 
sal,  it's  sublime." 

"  No,  this  one  doesn't  seem  to  cringe  much." 

"  Cringe — why,  he  doesn't  know  the  meaning  of  the 
word.  Hatchments  !  To  commemorate  that  sniveling 
tramp  and  his  fraternal  duplicate.  And  he  is  going  to 
send  me  the  remains.  The  late  Claimant  was  a  fool, 
but  plainly  this  new  one's  a  maniac.  What  a  name  ! 
Mulberry  Sellers — there's  music  for  you.  Simon  Lath 
ers  —  Mulberry  Sellers  —  Mulberry  Sellers  —  Simon 
Lathers.  Sounds  like  machinery  working  and  churn 
ing.  Simon  Lathers,  Mulberry  Sel —  Are  you  going  ?" 

"  If  I  have  your  leave,  father." 

The  old  gentleman  stood  musing  some  time,  after 
his  son  was  gone.  This  was  his  thought  : 

"  He  is  a  good  boy,  and  lovable.  Let  him  take  his 
own  course — as  it  would  profit  nothing  to  oppose  him 
— make  things  worse,  in  fact.  My  arguments  and  his 
aunt's  persuasions  have  failed  ;  let  us  see  what  America 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  25 

can  do  for  us.  Let  us  see  what  equality  and  hardtimes 
can  effect  for  the  mental  health  of  a  brain-sick  young 
British  lord.  Going  to  renounce  his  lordship  and  be  a 
man!  Yas  ! " 


CHAPTER  II. 

COLONEL  MULBERRY  SELLERS— this  was  some  days 
before  he  wrote  his  letter  to  Lord  Rossmore— was  seated 
in  his  "  library,"  which  was  also  his  "  drawing-room  " 
and  was  also  his  "picture  gallery  "  and  likewise  his 
"  work-shop."  Sometimes  he  called  it  by  one  of  these 
names,  sometimes  by  another,  according  to  occasion 
and  circumstance.  He  was  constructing  what  seemed 
to  be  some  kind  of  a  frail  mechanical  toy,  and  was  ap 
parently  very  much  interested  in  his  work.  He  was  a 
white  -  headed  man,  now,  but  otherwise  he  was  as 
young,  alert,  buoyant,  visionary  and  enterprising  as 
ever.  His  loving  old  wife  sat  near  by,  contentedly 
knitting  and  thinking,  with  a  cat  asleep  in  her  lap. 
The  room  was  large,  light,  and  had  a  comfortable  look, 
in  fact  a  home-like  look,  though  the  furniture  was  of  a 
humble  sort  and  not  over  abundant,  and  the  knick- 
knacks  and  things  that  go  to  adorn  a  living-room  not 
plenty  and  not  costly.  But  there  were  natural  flowers, 
and  there  was  an  abstract  and  unclassifiable  something 
about  the  place  which  betrayed  the  presence  in  the 
house  of  somebody  with  a  happy  taste  and  an  effective 
touch. 

Even  the  deadly  chromos  on  the  walls  were  some 
how  without  offence  ;  in  fact  the)'  seemed  to  belong 
there  and  to  add  an  attraction  to  the  room — a  fascina 
tion,  anyway  ;  for  whoever  got  his  eye  on  one  of  them 

26 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  2/ 

was  like  to  gaze  and  suffer  till  he  died — you  have  seen 
that  kind  of  pictures.  Some  of  these  terrors  were  land 
scapes,  some  libeled  the  sea,  some  were  ostensible  por 
traits,  all  were  crimes.  All  the  portraits  were  recog- 


"  HE    WAS    CONSTRUCTING    WHAT    SEEMED    TO    BE   SOME    KIND    OF    FRAIL 
MECHANICAL   TOY." 

nizable  as  dead  Americans  of  distinction,  and  yet, 
through  labeling  added  by  a  daring  hand,  they  were 
all  doing,  duty  here  as  "  Earls  of  Rossmore."  The 


28  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT, 

newest  one  had  left  the  works  as  Andrew  Jackson,  but 
was  doing  its  best  now,  as  "  Simon  Lathers  Lord  Ross- 
more,  Present  Earl."  On  one  wall  was  a  cheap  old 
railroad  map  of  Warwickshire.  This  had  been  newly 
labeled  "  The  Rossmore  Estates."  On  the  opposite 
wall  was  another  map,  and  this  was  the  most  imposing 
decoration  of  the  establishment  and  the  first  to  catch  a 
stranger's  attention,  because  of  its  great  size..  It  had 
once  borne  simply  the  title  SIBERIA  ;  but  now  the 
word  "  FUTURE  "  had  been  written  in  front  of  that  word. 
There  were  other  additions,  in  red  ink — many  cities, 
with  great  populations  set  down,  scattered  over  the 
vast  country  at  points  where  neither  cities  nor  popula 
tions  exist  to-day.  One  of  these  cities,  with  population 
placed  at  1,500,000,  bore  the  name  "  Libertyorloffs- 
kuizalinski,"  and  there  was  a  still  more  populous  one, 
centrally  located  and  marked  "Capital,"  which  bore 
the  name  "  Freedomolovnaivanovich." 

The  "mansion" — the  Colonel's  usual  name  for  the 
house — was  a  rickety  old  two-story  frame  of  considerable 
size,  which  had  been  painted,  some  time  or  other,  but 
had  nearly  forgotten  it.  It  was  away  out  in  the  ragged 
edge  of  Washington  and  had  once  been  somebody's 
country  place.  It  had  a  neglected  yard  around  it,  with 
a  paling  fence  that  needed  straightening  up,  in  places, 
and  a  gate  that  would  stay  shut.  By  the  door-post  were 
several  modest  tin  signs.  "  Col.  Mulberry  Sellers, 
Attorney  at  Law  and  Claim  Agent,"  was  the  principal 
one.  One  learned  from  the  others  that  the  Colonel 
was  a  Materialize^  a  Hypnotizer,  a  Mind-Cure  dab 
bler,  and  so  on.  For  he  was  a  man  who  could  always 
find  things  to  do. 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  29 

A  white-headed  negro  man,  with  spectacles  and 
damaged  white  cotton  gloves  appeared  in  the  pres 
ence,  made  a  stately  obeisance  and  announced — 

"  Marse  Washington  Hawkins,  suh." 

"  Great  Scott  !     Show  him  in,  Dan'l,  show  him  in." 

The  Colonel  and  his  wife  were  on  their  feet  in  a 
moment,  and  the  next  moment  were  joyfully  wringing 
the  hands  of  a  stoutish,  discouraged-looking  man  whose 
general  aspect  suggested  that  he  was  fifty  years  old, 
but  whose  hair  swore  to  a  hundred. 

"Well,  well,  well,  Washington,  my  boy,  it  is  good 
to  look  at  you  again.  Sit  down,  sit  down,  and  make 
yourself  at  home.  There,  now — why,  you  look  per 
fectly  natural;  aging  a  little,  just  a  little,  but  you'd 
have  known  him  anywhere,  wouldn't  you,  Polly  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes,  Berry,  he's  just  like  his.  pa  would  have 
looked  if  he'd  lived.  Dear,  dear,  where  have  you 
dropped  from  ?  Let  me  see,  how  long  is  it  since — 

"  I  should  say  it's  all  of  fifteen  years,  Mrs.  Sellers." 

"  Well,  well,  how  time  does  get  away  with  us.  Yes, 
and  oh,  the  changes  that— 

There  was  a  sudden  catch  of  her  voice  and  a  trem 
bling  of  the  lip,  the  men  waiting  reverently  for  her  to 
get  command  of  herself  and  go  on;  but  after  a  little 
struggle  she  turned  away,  with  her  apron  to  her  eyes, 
and  softly  disappeared. 

"Seeing  you  made  her  think  of  the  children,  poor 
thing — dear,  dear,  they're  all  dead  but  the  youngest. 
But  banish  care,  it's  no  time  for  it  now — on  with  the 
dance,  let  joy  be  unconfined  is  my  motto,  whether 
there's  any  dance  to  dance,  or  any  joy  to  unconfine— 
you'll  be  the  healthier  for  it  every  time, — every  time, 


->O  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

«j 

Washington — it's  my  experience,  and  I've  seen  a  good 
deal  of  this  world.  Come — where  have  you  disappeared 
to  all  these  years,  and  are  you  from  there,  now,  or 
where  are  you  from  ?  " 

"  I  don't  quite  think  you  would  ever  guess,  Colonel. 
Cherokee  Strip." 

"  My  land  !  " 

"  Sure  as  you  live." 

"You   can't  mean  it.     Actually  living  out  there?" 

"Well,  yes,  if  a  body  may  call  it  that;  though  it's  a 
pretty  strong  term  for  'dobies  and  jackass  rabbits, 
boiled  beans  and  slapjacks,  depression,  withered  hopes, 
poverty  in  all  its  varieties — " 

"  Louise  out  there  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  the  children." 

"Out  there  now?" 

"  Yes,  I  couldn't  afford  to  bring  them  with  me." 

"  Oh,  I  see, — you  had  to  come — claim  against  the 
government.  Make  yourself  perfectly  easy — I'll  take 
care  of  that." 

"  But  it  isn't  a  claim  against  the  government." 

"  No  ?  Want  to  be  postmaster  ?  That's  all  right. 
Leave  it  to  me.  I'll  fix  it." 

"  But  it  isn't  postmaster — you're  all  astray  yet." 

"  Well,  good  gracious,  Washington,  why  don't  you 
come  out  and  tell  me  what  it  is  ?  What  do  you  want 
to  be  so  reserved  and  distrustful  with  an  old  friend  like 
me,  for  ?  Don't  you  reckon  I  can  keep  a  se — 

"  There's  no  secret  about  it — you  merely  don't  give 
me  a  chance  to — 

"Now  look  here,  old  friend,  I  know  the  human  race; 
and  I  know  that  when  a  man  comes  to  Washington,  I 


7 'HE  A  M ERICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  1  J 

\J 

don't  care  if  it's  from  heaven,  let  alone  Cherokee  Strip, 
it's  because  he  wants  something.  And  I  know  that  as 
a  rule  he's  not  going  to  get  it;  that  he'll  stay  and  try 
for  another  thing  and  won't  get  that;  the  same  luck 
with  the  next  and  the  next  and  the  next;  and  keeps 
on  till  he  strikes  bottom,  and  is  too  poor  and  ashamed 
to  go  back,  even  to  Cherokee  Strip;  and  at  last  his 
heart  breaks  and  they  take  up  a  collection  and  bury 
him.  There — don't  interrupt  me,  I  know  what  I'm 
talking  about.  Happy  and  prosperous  in  the  Far 
West  wasn't  I  ?  You  know  that.  Principal  citizen  of 
Hawkeye,  looked  up  to  by  everybody,  kind  of  an 
autocrat,  actually  a  kind  of  an  autocrat,  Washington. 
Well,  nothing  would  do  but  I  must  go  Minister  to  St. 
James,  the  Governor  and  everybody  insisting,  you 
know,  and  so  at  last  I  consented — no  getting  out  of  it, 
had  to  do  it,  so  here  I  came.  A  day  too  late,  Wash 
ington.  Think  of  that— what  little  things  change  the 
world's  history — yes,  sir,  the  place  had  been  filled. 
Well,  there  I  was,  you  see.  I  offered  to  compromise 
and  go  to  Paris.  The  President  was  very  sorry  and  all 
that,  but  that  place,  you  see,  didn't  belong  to  the 
West,  so  there  I  was  again.  There  was  no  help  for  it, 
so  I  had  to  stoop  a  little — we  all  reach  the  day  some 
time  or  other  when  we've  got  to  do  that,  Washington, 
and  it's  not  a  bad  thing  for  us,  either,  take  it  by  and 
large  and  all  around — I  had  to  stoop  a  little  and  offer 
to  take  Constantinople.  Washington,  consider  this — 
for  it's  perfectly  true — within  a  month  I  asked  for 
China;  within  another  month  I  begged  for  Japan;  one 
year  later  I  was  away  down,  down,  down,  supplicat 
ing  with  tears  and  anguish  for  the  bottom  office  in  the 


}2  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

vJ 

gift  of  the  government  of  the  United  States — Flint- 
Picker  in  the  cellars  of  the  War  Department.  And  by 
George  I  didn't  get  it." 

"  Flint-Picker?" 

"  Yes.  Office  established  in  the  time  of  the  Revolu 
tion,  last  century.  The  musket-flints  for  the  military 
posts  were  supplied  from  the  capitol.  They  do  it  yet; 
for  although  the  flint-arm  has  gone  out  and  the  forts 
have  tumbled  down,  the  decree  hasn't  been  repealed 
— been  overlooked  and  forgotten,  you  see — and  so  the 
vacancies  where  old  Ticonderoga  and  others  used  to 
stand,  still  get  their  six  quarts  of  gun-flints  a  year  just 
the  same." 

Washington  said  musingly  after  a  pause: 

"  How  strange  it  seems — to  start  for  Minister  to 
England  at  twenty  thousand  a  year  and  fail  for  flint- 
picker  at— 

"  Three  dollars  a  week.  It's  human  life,  Washing 
ton — just  an  epitome  of  human  ambition,  and  struggle, 
and  the  outcome:  you  aim  for  the  palace  and  get 
drowned  in  the  sewer." 

There  was  another  meditative  silence.  Then  Wash 
ington  said,  with  earnest  compassion  in  his  voice— 

"  And  so,  after  coming  here,  against  your  inclina 
tion,  to  satisfy  your  sense  of  patriotic  duty  and  appease  a 
selfish  public  clamor,  you  get  absolutely  nothing  for  it." 

"  Nothing  ?  "  The  Colonel  had  to  get  up  and  stand, 
to  get  room  for  his  amazement  to  expand.  "Nothing, 
Washington  ?  I  ask  you  this:  to  be  a  Perpetual  Mem 
ber  and  the  only  Perpetual  Member  of  a  Diplomatic 
Body  accredited  to  the  greatest  country  on  earth- 
do  you  call  that  nothing  ?  " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  33 

It  was  Washington's  turn  to  be  amazed.  He  was 
stricken  dumb;  but  the  wide-eyed  wonder,  the  rev 
erent  admiration  expressed  in  his  face  were  more 
eloquent  than  any  words  could  have  been.  The  Colo 
nel's  wounded  spirit  was  healed  and  he  resumed  his 
seat  pleased  and  content.  He  leaned  forward  and 
said  impressively: 

"What  was  due  to  a  man  who  had  become  forever 
conspicuous  by  an  experience  without  precedent  in  the 
history  of  the  world  ? — a  man  made  permanently  and 
diplomatically  sacred,  so  to  speak,  by  having  been 
connected,  temporarily,  through  solicitation,  with 
every  single  diplomatic  post  in  the  roster  of  this  gov 
ernment,  from  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  to  the  Court  of  St.  James  all  the  way 
down  to  Consul  to  a  guano  rock  in  the  Straits  of  Sunda 
— salary  payable  in  guano — which  disappeared  by  vol 
canic  convulsion  the  day  before  they  got  down  to  my 
name  in  the  list  of  applicants.  Certainly  something 
august  enough  to  be  answerable  to  the  size  of  this 
unique  and  memorable  experience  was  my  due,  and  I 
got  it.  By  the  common  voice  of  this  community,  by 
acclamation  of  the  people,  that  mighty  utterance  which 
brushes  aside  laws  and  legislation,  and  from  whose  de 
crees  there  is  no  appeal,  I  was  named  Perpetual  Mem 
ber  of  the  Diplomatic  Body  representing  the  multifa 
rious  sovereignties  and  civilizations  of  the  globe  near 
the  republican  court  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
And  they  brought  me  home  with  a  torchlight  proces 
sion." 

"  It  is  wonderful,  Colonel,  simply  wonderful." 

"  It's  the  loftiest  official  position  in  the  whole  earth." 


;  I  THE  A  MERR  \  I N  ( 'LA  IMA  NT. 

"  I  should  think  so — and  the  most  commanding." 

"  You  have  named  the  word.  Think  of  it.  I  frown, 
and  there  is  war;  I  smile,  and  contending  nations  lay 
clown  their  arms." 

11  It  is  awful.     The  responsibility,  I  mean." 

"  It  is  nothing.  Responsibility  is  no  burden  to  me; 
I  am  used  to  it;  have  always  been  used  to  it." 

"  And  the  work — the  work  !  Do  you  have  to  at 
tend  all  the  sittings  ?  " 

"  Who,  I  ?  Does  the  Emperor  of  Russia  attend  the 
conclaves  of  the  governors  of  the  provinces  ?  He  sits 
at  home,  and  indicates  his  pleasure." 

Washington  was  silent  a  moment,  then  a  deep  sigh 
escaped  him. 

"  How  proud  I  was  an  hour  ago;  how  paltry  seems 
my  little  promotion  now  !  Colonel,  the  reason  I  came 
to  Washington  is, — I  am  Congressional  Delegate  from 
Cherokee  Strip  !  " 

The  Colonel  sprang  to  his  feet  and  broke  out  with 
prodigious  enthusiasm: 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  my  boy — this  is  immense 
news  !  I  congratulate  you  with  all  my  heart.  My 
prophecies  stand  confirmed.  I  always  said  it  was  in 
you.  I  always  said  you  were  born  for  high  distinction 
and  would  achieve  it.  You  ask  Polly  if  I  didn't." 

Washington  was  dazed  by  this  most  unexpected 
demonstration. 

"Why,  Colonel,  there's  nothing  to  it.  That  little 
narrow,  desolate,  unpeopled,  oblong  streak  of  grass 
and  gravel,  lost  in  the  remote  wastes  of  the  vast  con 
tinent — why,  it's  like  representing  a  billiard  table — a 
discarded  one." 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  35 

"  Tut-tut,  it's  a  great,  it's  a  staving  preferment,  and 
just  opulent  with  influence  here." 

"  Shucks,  Colonel,  I  haven't  even  a  vote." 

44  That's  nothing;  you  can  make  speeches." 

"  No,  I  can't.  The  population's  only  two  hun 
dred—" 

"  That's  all  right,  that's  all  right—" 

"  And  they  hadn't  any  right  to  elect  me;  we're  not 
even  a  territory,  there's  no  Organic  Act,  the  govern 
ment  hr.sn't  any  official  knowledge  of  us  whatever." 

"  Never  mind  about  that;  I'll  fix  that.  I'll  rush  the 
thing  through,  I'll  get  you  organized  in  no  time." 

"  Will  you,  Colonel  ? — it's  too  good  of  you;  but  it's 
just  your  old  sterling  self,  the  same  old  ever-faithful 
friend,"  and  the  grateful  tears  welled  up  in  Washing 
ton's  eyes. 

"  It's  just  as  good  as  done,  my  boy,  just  as  good  as 
done.  Shake  hands.  We'll  hitch  teams  together,  you 
and  I,  and  we'll  make  things  hum  !  " 


CHAPTER   III. 

MRS.  SELLERS  returned,  now,  with  her  composure 
restored,  and  began  to  ask  after  Hawkins's  wife,  and 
about  his  children,  and  the  number  of  them,  and  so 
on,  and  her  examination  of  the  witness  resulted  in  a 
circumstantial  history  of  the  family's  ups  and  downs 
and  driftings  to  and  fro  in  the  far  West  during-  the 
previous  fifteen  years.  There  was  a  message,  now, 
from  out  back,  and  Colonel  Sellers  went  out  there  in 
answer  to  it.  Hawkins  took  this  opportunity  to  ask 
how  the  world  had  been  using  the  Colonel  during  the 
past  half-generation. 

"  Oh,  it's  been  using  him  just  the  same;  it  couldn't 
change  its  way  of  using  him  if  it  wanted  to,  for  he 
wouldn't  let  it." 

"  I  can  easily  believe  that,  Mrs.  Sellers." 

"  Yes,  you  see,  he  doesn't  change,  himself — not  the 
least  little  bit  in  the  world — he's  always  Mulberry  Sel 
lers." 

"  I  can  see  that  plain  enough." 

"Just  the  same  old  scheming,  generous,  good-heart 
ed,  moonshiny,  hopeful,  no-account  failure  he  always 
was,  and  still  everybody  likes  him  just  as  well  as  if  he 
was  the  shiningest  success." 

"  They  always  did:  and  it  was  natural,  because  he 
was  so  obliging  and  accommodating,  and  had  some 
thing  about  him  that  made  it  kind  of  easy  to  ask  help 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  37 

of  him,  or  favors — you  didn't  feel  shy,  you  know,  or 
have  that  wish-you-didn't-have-to-try  feeling  that  you 
have  with  other  people." 

"It's  just  so,  yet;  and  a  body  wonders  at  it,  too, 
because  he's  been  shamefully  treated,  many  times,  by 
people  that  had  used  him  for  a  ladder  to  climb  up  by, 
and  then  kicked  him  down  when  they  didn't  need  him 
any  more.  For  a  time  you  can  see  he's  hurt,  his  pride's 
wounded,  because  he  shrinks  away  from  that  tiling 
and  don't  want  to  talk  about  it — and  so  I  used  to  think 
now  he's  learned  something  and  he'll  be  more  careful 
hereafter — but  laws  !  in  a  couple  of  weeks  he's  forgot 
ten  all  about  it,  and  any  selfish  tramp  out  of  nobody 
knows  where  can  come  and  put  up  a  poor  mouth  and 
walk  right  into  his  heart  with  his  boots  on." 

"  It  must  try  your  patience  pretty  sharply  some 
times." 

"Oh,  no,  I'm  used  to  it;  and  I'd  rather  have  him  so 
than  the  other  way.  When  I  call  him  a  failure,  I  mean 
to  the  world  he's  a  failure;  he  isn't  to  me.  I  don't  know 
as  I  want  him  different— much  different,  anyway.  I 
have  to  scold  him  some,  snarl  at  him,  you  might  even 
call  it,  but  I  reckon  I'd  do  that  just  the  same,  if  he  was 
different— it's  my  make.  But  I'm  a  good  deal  less 
snarly  and  more  contented  when  he's  a  failure  than  I 
am  when  he  isn't." 

"Then  he  isn't  always  a  failure,"  said  Hawkins, 
brightening. 

"  Him  ?  Oh,  bless  you,  no.  He  makes  a  strike,  as 
he  calls  it,  from  time  to  time.  Then's  my  time  to  fret 
and  fuss.  For  the  money  just  flies — first  come  first 
served.  Straight  o.T,  he  loads  up  the  house  with  crip- 


j:>  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

pies  and  idiots  and  stray  cats  and  all  the  different 
kinds  of  poor  wrecks  that  other  people  don't  want  and 
he  does,  and  then  when  the  poverty  comes  again  I've 
got  to  clear  the  most  of  them  out  or  we'd  starve;  and 
that  distresses  him,  and  me  the  same,  of  course. 


\v\  x  \ 

"IT    MUST   TRY    YOUR    PATIENCE    PRETTY    SHARPLY    SOMETIMES." 

Here's  old  Dan'l  and  old  Jinny,  that  the  sheriff  sold 
south  one  of  the  times  that  we  got  bankrupted  before 
the  war— they  came  wandering  back  after  the  peace, 
worn  out  and  used  up  on  the  cotton  plantations,  help- 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  39 

less,  and  not  another  lick  of  work  left  in  their  old 
hides  for  the  rest  of  this  earthly  pilgrimage — and  we 
so  pinched,  oh  so  pinched  for  the  very  crumbs  to  keep 
life  in  us,  and  he  just  flung  the  door  wide,  and  the  way 
he  received  them  you'd  have  thought  they  had  come 
straight  down  from  heaven  in  answer  to  prayer.  I 
took  him  one  side  and  said,  *  Mulberry  we  can't  have 
them — we've  nothing  for  ourselves — we  can't  feed 
them/  He  looked  at  me  kind  of  hurt,  and  said,  '  Turn 
them  out  ? — and  they've  come  to  me  just  as  confident 
and  trusting  as — as — why  Polly,  I  must  have  bougJit 
that  confidence  sometime  or  other  a  long  time  ago, 
and  given  my  note,  so  to  speak — you  don't  get  such 
things  as  a  gift — and  how  am  I  going  to  go  back  on  a 
debt  like  that  ?  And  you  see,  they're  so  poor,  and 
old,  and  friendless,  and—  But  I  was  ashamed  by  that 
time,  and  shut  him  off,  and  somehow  felt  a  new  cour 
age  in  me,  and  so  I  said,  softly,  '  We'll  keep  them — 
the  Lord  will  provide.'  He  was  glad,  and  started  to 
blurt  out  one  of  those  over-confident  speeches  of  his, 
but  checked  himself  in  time,  and  said  humbly,'  '  /  will, 
anyway.'  It  was  years  and  years  and  years  ago. 
Well,  you  see  those  old  wrecks  are  here  yet." 
"  But  don't  they  do  your  housework  ? " 
11  Laws  !  The  idea.  They  would  if  they  could,  poor 
old  things,  and  perhaps  they  think  they  do  do  some  of 
it.  But  it's  a  superstition.  Dan'l  waits  on  the  front 
door,  and  sometimes  goes  on  an  errand;  and  sometimes 
you'll  see  one  or  both  of  them  letting  on  to  dust 
around  in  here — but  that's  because  there's  something 
they  want  to  hear  about  and  mix  their  gabble  into. 
And  thev're  always  around  at  meals,  for  the  same  rea- 


4O  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

son.  But  the  fact  is,  we  have  to  keep  a  young  negro 
girl  just  to  take  care  of  them,  and  a  negro  woman  to 
do  the  housework  and  help  take  care  of  them." 

"  Well,  they  ought  to  be  tolerably  happy,  I  should 
think." 

"  It's  no  name  for  it.  They  quarrel  together  pretty 
much  all  the  time — most  always  about  religion,  be 
cause  Dan'l's  a  Dimker  Baptist  and  Jinny's  a  shouting- 
Methodist,  and  Jinny  believes  in  special  Providences 
and  Dan'l  don't,  because  he  thinks  he's  a  kind  of  a 
free-thinker — and  they  play  and  sing  plantation  hymns 
together,  and  talk  and  chatter  just  eternally  and  for 
ever,  and  are  sincerely  fond  of  each  other  and  think 
the  world  of  Mulberry,  and  he  puts  up  patiently  with 
all  their  spoiled  ways  and  foolishness,  and  so — ah, 
well,  they're  happy  enough  if  it  comes  to  that.  And  I 
don't  mind — I've  got  used  to  it.  I  can  get  used  to 
anything,  with  Mulberry  to  help;  and  the  fact  is,  I 
don't  much  care  what  happens,  so  long  as  he's  spared 
to  me." 

"  Well,  here's  to  him,  and  hoping  he'll  make  an 
other  strike  soon." 

"  And  rake  in  the  lame,  the  halt  and  the  blind,  and 
turn  the  house  into  a  hospital  again  ?  It's  what  he 
would  do.  I've  seen  a  plenty  of  that  and  more.  No, 
Washington,  I  want  his  strikes  to  be  mighty  moderate 
ones  the  rest  of  the  way  down  the  vale." 

"  Well,  then,  big  strike  or  little  strike,  or  no  strike 
at  all,  here's  hoping  he'll  never  lack  for  friends — and  I 
don't  reckon  he  ever  will  while  there's  people  around 
who  know  enough  to — 

"  Him  lack  for  friends  !  "  and  she  tilted  her  head  up 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  41 

with  a  frank  pride — "why,  Washington,  you  can't 
name  a  man  that's  anybody  that  isn't  fond  of  him.  I'll 
tell  you  privately,  that  I've  had  Satan's  own  time  to 
keep  them  from  appointing  him  to  some  office  or  other. 
They  knew  he'd  no  business  with  an  office,  just  as 
well  as  I  did,  but  he's  the  hardest  man  to  refuse  any 
thing  to,  a  body  ever  saw.  Mulberry  Sellers  with  an 
office  !  laws  goodness,  you  know  what  that  would  be 
like.  Why,  they'd  come  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  to 
see  a  circus  like  that.  I'd  just  as  lieves  be  married  to 
Niagara  Falls,  and  done  with  it."  After  a  reflective 
pause  she  added — having  wandered  back,  in  the  inter 
val,  to  the  remark  that  had  been  her  text  :  "  Friends  ? 
— oh,  indeed,  no  man  ever  had  more;  and  such  friends: 
Grant,  Sherman,  Sheridan,  Johnston,  Longstreet,  Lee 
— many's  the  time  they've  sat  in  that  chair  you're  sit 
ting  in —  Hawkins  was  out  of  it  instantly,  and  con 
templating  it  with  a  reverential  surprise,  and  with 
the  awed  sense  of  having  trodden  shod  upon  holy 
ground — 

"  Tkey  !  "  he  said. 

"  Oh,  indeed,  yes,  a  many  and  a  many  a  time." 
He  continued  to  gaze  at  the  chair  fascinated,  mag 
netized;  and  for  once  in  his  life  that  continental 
stretch  of  dry  prairie  which  stood  for  his  imagination 
was  afire,  and  across  it  was  marching  a  slanting  flame- 
front  that  joined  its  wide  horizons  together  an  1 
smoth  ?red  the  skies  with  smoke.  He  was  experienc 
ing  what  one  or  another  drowsing,  geographically- 
ignorant  alien  experiences  every  day  in  the  year  when 
h?  t  irns  a  dull  and  indifferent  eye  out  of  the  car  win 
dow  and  it  falls  upon  a  certain  station-sign  which 


42  THE  AMEK1CAX  CLAIMANT^. 

reads  "  Stratford-on-Avon  !  "  Mrs.  Sellers  went  gos 
siping  comfortably  along  : 

"  Oh,  they  like  to  hear  him  talk,  especially  if  their 
load  is  getting  rather  heavy  on  one  shoulder  and  they 
want  to  shift  it.  He's  all  air,  you  know, — breeze,  ycu 
may  say — and  he  freshens  them  up  ;  it's  a  trip  to  tlv 
country,  they  say.  Many  a  time  he's  made  General 
Grant  laugh — and  that's  a  tidy  job,  I  can  tell  you,  and 
as  for  Sheridan,  his  eye  lights  up  and  he  listens  to 
Mulberry  Sellers  the  same  as  if  he  was  artillery.  You 
see,  the  charm  about  Mulberry  is,  he  is  so  catholic  and 
unprejudiced  that  he  fits  in  anywhere  and  everywhere. 
It  makes  him  powerful  good  company,  and  as  popular 
as  scandal.  You  go  to  the  White  House  when  the 
President's  holding  a  general  reception  —  sometime 
when  Mulberry's  there.  Why,  dear  me,  you  can't  tell 
which  of  them  it  is  that's  holding  that  reception." 

"  Well,  he  certainly  is  a  remarkable  man — and  he 
always  was.  Is  he  religious  ?  " 

"  Clear  to  his  marrow — does  more  thinking  and  read 
ing  on  that  subject  than  any  other  except  Russia  and 
Siberia  :  thrashes  around  over  the  whole  field,  too  ; 
nothing  bigoted  about  him." 

"  What  is  his  religion  ?  " 

"  He—  She  stopped,  and  was  lost  for  a  moment 
or  two  in  thinking,  then  she  said,  with  simplicity,  "  I 
think  he  was  a  Mohammedan  or  something  last 
week." 

Washington  started  down  town,  now,  to  bring  his 
trunk,  for  the  hospitable  Sellerses  would  listen  to  no 
excuses;  their  house  must  be  his  home  during  the  ses 
sion.  The  Colonel  returned  presently  and  resumed 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  43 

work  upon  his  plaything.  It  was  finished  when  Wash 
ington  got  back. 

"  There  it  is,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  all  finished." 

44  What  is  it  for,  Colonel  ?  " 

4'  Oh,  it's  just  a  trifle.     Toy  to  amuse  the  children." 

Washington  examined  it. 

44  It  seems  to  be  a  puzzle." 

44  Yes,  that's  what  it  is.  I  call  it  Pigs  in  the  Clover. 
Put  them  in — see  if  you  can  put  them  in  the  pen." 

After  many  failures  Washington  succeeded,  and  was 
as  pleased  as  a  child.  . 

"  It's  wonderfully  ingenious,  Colonel,  it's  ever  so 
clever.  And  interesting — why,  I  could  play  with  it  all 
day.  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing.     Patent  it  and  throw  it  aside." 

"  Don't  you  do  anything  of  the  kind.  There's  money 
in  that  thing." 

A  compassionate  look  traveled  over  the  Colonel's 
countenance,  and  he  said  : 

44  Money  —  yes  ;  pin  money:  a  couple  of  hundred 
thousand,  perhaps.  Not  more." 

Washington's  eyes  blazed. 

"  A  couple  of  hundred  thousand  dollars  !  do  you  call 
that  pin  money  ?  " 

The  colonel  rose  and  tip-toed  his  way  across  the 
room,  closed  a  door  that  was  slightly  ajar,  tip-toed  his 
way  to  his  seat  again,  and  said,  under  his  breath— 

44  You  can  keep  a  secret  ? " 

Washington  nodded  his  affirmative,  he  was  too  awed 
to  speak. 

44  You  have  heard  of  materialization — materialization 
of  departed  spirits  ?  " 


44  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

Washington  had  heard  of  it. 

"  And  probably  didn't  believe  in  it  ;  and  quite  right, 
too.  The' thing  JLS  practised  by  ignorant  charlatans  is 
unworthy  of  attention  or  respect — where  there's  a  dim 
li«-ht  and  a  dark  cabinet,  and  a  parcel  of  sentimental 

£•> 

gulls  gathered  together,  with  their  .faith  and  their 
shudders  and  their  tears  all  ready,  and  one  and  the 
same  fatty  degeneration  of  protoplasm  and  humbug 
comes  out  and  materializes  himself  into  anybody  you 
want,  grandmother,  grandchild,  brother-in-law,  Witch 
of  Kndor,  John  Milton,  Siamese  twins,  Peter  the  Great, 
and  all  such  frantic  nonsense — no,  that  is  all  foolish 
and  pitiful.  But  when  a  man  that  is  competent  brings 
the  vast  powers  of  science  to  bear,  it's  a  different  matter, 
a  totally  different  matter,  you  see.  The  spectre  that 
answers  that  call  has  come  to  stay.  Do  you  note  the 
commercial  value  of  that  detail  ?  " 

"  Well,  I — the — the  truth  is,  that  I  don't  quite  know 
that  I  do.  Do  you  mean  that  such,  being  permanent, 
not  transitory,  would  give  more  general  satisfaction, 
and  so  enhance  the  price  of  tickets  to  the  show— 

"  Show  ?  Folly — Jisten  to  me  ;  and  get  a  good  grip 
on  your  breath,  for  you  are  going  to  need  it.  Within 
three  days  I  shall  have  completed  my  method,  and 
then — -Jet  the  world  stand  aghast,  for  it  shall  see  mar 
vels.  Washington,  within  three  days — ten^at  the  out 
side — you  shall  see  me  call  the  dead  of^any  century, 
and  they  will  arise  and  walk.  Walk  ? — they  shall  walk 
Jbrever,  and  never  die  again.  Walk  with  all  the  muscle 
and  spring  of  their  pristine  vigor." 

"  Colonel  !   Indeed  it  does  take  one's  breath  away." 

<(  Now  do  you  see  the  money  that's  in  it  ? " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT,  45 

"•I'm — well,  I'm — not  really  sure  that  I  do." 

"  Great  Scott,  look  here.  I  shall  have  a  monopoly  ; 
they'll  all  belong  to  me,  won't  they  ?  Two  thousand 
policemen  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Wages,  four  dol 
lars  a  day.  I'll  replace  them  with  dead  ones  at  half  the 
money." 

"  Oh,  prodigious!  1  never  thought  of  that.  F-o-u-r 
thousand  dollars  a  day.  Now  I  do  begin  to  see  !  But 
will  dead  policemen  answer  ?  " 

"  Haven't  they — up  to  this  time  ?  " 

"  Well,  if  you  put  it  that  way — 

"  Put  it  any  way  you  want  to  Modify  it  to  suit 
yourself,  and  my  lads  shall  still  be  superior.  They 
won't  eat,  they  won't  drink — don't  need  those  things  ; 
they  won't  wink  for  cash  at  gambling  dens  and  unli 
censed  rum-holes,  they  won't  spark  the  scullery  maids  ; 
and  moreover  the  bands  of  toughs  that  ambuscade 
them  on  lonely  beats,  and  cowardly  shoot  and  knife 
them  will  only  damage  the  uniforms  and  not  live  long 
enough  to  get  more  than  a  momentary  satisfaction  out 
of  that." 

"Why,  Colonel,  if  you  can  furnish  policemen,  then 
of  course— 

"Certainly — I  can  furnish  any  line  of  goods  that's 
wanted.  Take  the  army,  for  instance — now  twenty- 
five  thousand  men  ;  expense,  twenty-two  millions  a 
year.  I  will  dig  up  the  Romans,  I  will  resurrect  the 
Greeks,  I  will  furnish  the  government,  for  ten  millions 
a  year,  ten  thousand  veterans  drawn  from  the  victorious 
legions  of  all  the  ages — soldiers  that  will  chase  Indians 
year  in  and  year  out  on  materialized  horses,  and  cost 
never  a  cent  for  rations  or  repairs.  The  armies  of 


46  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

Europe  cost  two  billions  a  year  now — I  will  replace 
them  all  for  a  billion.  I  will  dig  up  the  trained  states 
men  of  all  ages  and  all  climes,  and  furnish  this  coun 
try  with  a  Congress  that  knows  enough  to  come  in  out 
of  the  rain — a  thing  that's  never  happened  yet,  since 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  never  will  hap 
pen  till  these  practically  dead  people  are  replaced  with 
the  genuine  article.  I  will  re-stock  the  thrones  of 
Europe  with  the  best  brains  and  the  best  morals  that 
all  the  royal  sepulchres  of  all  the  centuries  can  furnish 
—which  isn't  promising  very  much — and  I'll  divide  the 
wages  and  the  civil  list,  fair  and  square,  merely  taking 
my  half  and — " 

"  Colonel,  if  the  half  of  this  is  true,  there's  millions 
in  it — millions." 

"Billions  in  it  —  billions;  that's  what  you  mean. 
Why,  look  here  ;  the  thing  is  so  close  at  hand,  so  im 
minent,  so  absolutely  immediate,  that  if  a  man  were  to 
come  to  me  now  and  say,  Colonel,  I  am  a  little  short, 
and  if  you  could  lend  me  a  couple  of  billion  dollars  for 


— come  in 


This  in  answer  to  a  knock.  An  energetic  looking 
man  bustled  in  with  a  big  pocket-book  in  his  hand, 
took  a  paper  from  it  and  presented  it,  with  the  curt  re 
mark — 

"  Seventeenth  and  last  call — you  want  to  out  with 
that  three  dollars  and  forty  cents  this  time  without  fail, 
Colonel  Mulberry  Sellers." 

The  Colonel  began  to  slap  this  pocket  and  that 
one,  and  feel  here  and  there  and  everywhere,  mutter 
ing— 

"  What  have  I  done  with  that  wallet  ? — let  me  see — 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  47 

um — not  here,  not  there — Oh,  I  must  have  left  it  in  the 
kitchen  ;  I'll  just  run  and— 

"  No  you  won't  —  you'll  stay  right  where  you  arc. 
And  you're  going  to  disgorge,  too — this  time." 

Washington  innocently  offered  to  go  and  look. 
When  he  was  gone  the  Colonel  said— 

"  The  fact  is,  I've  got  to  throw  myself  on  your  indul 
gence  just  this  once  more,  Suggs  ;  you  see  the  remit 
tances  I  was  expecting — 

"  Hang  the  remittances — it's  too  stale — it  won't  an 
swer.  Come  !  " 

The  Colonel  glanced  about  him  in  despair.  Then 
his  face  lighted  ;  he  ran  to  the  wall  and  began  to  dust 
off  a  peculiarly  atrocious  chromo  with  his  handkerchief. 
Then  he  brought  it  reverently,  offered  it  to  the  collect 
or,  averted  his  face  and  said — 

"  Take  it,  but  don't  let  me  see  it  go.  It's  the  sole 
remaining  Rembrandt  that — 

"  Rembrandt  be  damned,  it's  a  chromo." 

"  Oh,  don't  speak  of  it  so,  I  beg  you.  It's  the  only 
really  great  original,  the  only  supreme  example  of  that 
mighty  school  of  art  which— 

"  Art  !     It's  the  sickest  looking  thing  I— 

The  colonel  was  already  bringing  another  horror  and 
tenderly  dusting  it. 

"  Take  this  one  too — the  gem  of  my  collection — the 
only  genuine  Fra  Angelico  that — 

"  Illuminated  liver  -  pad,  that's  what  it  is.  Give  it 
here — good  day — people  will  think  I've  robbed  a  nig 
ger  barber-shop." 

As  he  slammed  the  door  behind  him  the  Colonel 
shouted  with  an  anguished  accent — 


48  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT, 

"  Do  please  cover  them  up — don't  let  the  damp  get 
at  them.  The  delicate  tints  in  the  Angelico— 

But  the  man  was  gone. 

Washington  re -appeared  and  said  he  had  looked 
everywhere,  and  so  had  Mrs.  Sellers  and  the  servants, 
but  in  vain  ;  and  went  on  to  say  he  wished  he  could 
get  his  eye  on  a  certain  man  about  this  time — no  need 
to  hunt  up  that  pocket-book  then.  The  Colonel's  in 
terest  was  awake  at  once. 

"  What  man  ?  " 

"  One-armed  Pete  they  call  him  out  there — out  in  the 
Cherokee  country  I  mean.  Robbed  the  bank  in  Tah- 
lequah." 

"  Do  they  have  banks  in  Tahlequah-?  " 

"Yes — a  bank,  anyway.  He  was  suspected  of  rob 
bing  it.  Whoever  did  it  got  away  with  more  than 
twenty  thousand  dollars.  They  offered  a  reward  of 
five  thousand.  I  believe  I  saw  that  very  man,  on  my 
way  east." 

"  No — is  that  so  ?  " 

"  I  certainly  saw  a  man  on  the  train,  the  first  day  I 
struck  the  railroad,  that  answered  the  description 
pretty  exactly — at  least  as  to  clothes  and  a  lacking 
arm." 

"  Why  didn't  you  get  him  arrested  and  claim  the  re 
ward  ?  " 

"  I  couldn't.  I  had  to  get  a  requisition,  of  course. 
But  I  meant  to  stay  by  him  till  I  got  my  chance." 

"Well?" 

"Well,  he  left  the  train  during  the  night  some 
time." 

"  Oh,  hang  it,  that's  too  bad." 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  49 

"  Not  so  very  bad,  either." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  he  came  down  to  Baltimore  in  the  very 
train  I  was  in,  though  I  didn't  know  it  in  time.  As  we 
moved  out  of  the  station  I  saw  him  going  toward  the 
iron  gate  with  a  satchel  in  his  hand." 

"  Good  ;  we'll  catch  him.     Let's  lay  a  plan." 

"  Send  description  to  the  Baltimore  police  ?  " 

"  Why,  what  are  you  talking  about?  No.  Do  you 
want  them  to  get  the  reward  ?" 

-What  shall  we  do,  then?" 

The  Colonel  reflected. 

11  I'll  tell  you.  Put  a  personal  in  the  Baltimore  Sun. 
Word  it  like  this  : 


A. 


DROP  ME  A  LINE,  PETE— 


— "  Hold  on.     Which  arm  has  he  lost  ? " 

"The  right." 

"  Good.     Now  then— 

A      DROP  ME   A    LINE,   PETE,  EVEN  IF   YOU  HAVE 
to  write  with  your  left  hand.     Address  X.  Y.  Z.,  Gener 
al  Postoffice,  Washington.     From  YOU  KNOW  WHO. 

"  There—  that'll  fetch  him." 
"  But  he  won't  know  who- — will-  he  ?  " 
"  No,  but  he'll  want  to  know,  won't  he  ? " 
"Why,    certainly  — I    didn't   think   of  that.     What 
made  you  think  of  it  ?  " 

"  Knowledge  of  human  curiosity.  Strong  trait,  very 
strong  trait." 

"  Now  I'll  go  to  my  room  and  write  it  out  and  en 
close  a  dollar  and  tell  them  to  print  it  to  the  worth  of 
that." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  day  wore  itself  out.  After  dinner  the  two 
friends  put  in  a  long  and  harassing  evening  trying  to 
decide  what  to  do  with  the  five  thousand  dollars  re 
ward  which  they  were  going  to  get  when  they  should 
find  One-Armed  Pete,  and  catch  him,  and  prove  him 
to  be  the  right  person,  and  extradite  him,  and  ship 
him  to  Tahlequah  in  the  Indian  Territory.  But  there 
were  so  many  dazzling  openings  for  ready  cash  that 
they  found  it  impossible  to  make  up  their  minds  and 
keep  them  made  up.  Finally,  Mrs.  Sellers  grew  very 
weary  of  it  all,  and  said  : 

"What  is  the  sense  in  cooking  a  rabbit  before  it's 
caught  ? " 

Then  the  matter  was  dropped,  for  the  time  being, 
and  all  went  to  bed.  Next  morning,  being  persuaded 
by  Hawkins,  the  colonel  made  drawings  and  specifica 
tions  and  went  down  and  applied  for  a  patent  for  his 
toy  puzzle,  and  Hawkins  took  the  toy  itself  and  started 
out  to  see  what  chance  there  might  be  to  do  something 
with  it  commercially.  He  did  not  have  to  go  far.  In 
a  small  old  wooden  shanty  which  had  once  been  occu 
pied  as  a  dwelling  by  some  humble  negro  family  he 
found  a  keen-eyed  Yankee  engaged  in  repairing  cheap 
chairs  and  other  second-hand  furniture.  This  man 
examined  the  toy  indifferently  ;  attempted  to  do  the 
puzzle  ;  found  it  not  so  easy  as  he  had  expected  ;  grew 

so 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


more  interested,  and  finally  emphatically  so  ;  achieved 
a  success  at  last,  and  asked — 

"  Is  it  patented  ?  " 

"  Patent  applied  for." 

"  That  will  answer.     What  do  you  want  for  it  ?  " 

"What  will  it  retail 
for  ?  " 

"Well,  twenty -five 
cents,  I  should  think." 

"  What  will  you  give 
for  the  exclusive  right  ? " 

"I  couldn't  give 
twenty  dollars,  if  I  had 
to  pay  cash  down  ;  but 
I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do. 
I'll  make  it  and  market 
it,  and  pay  you  five 
cents  royalty  on  each 
one." 

Washington  sighed. 
Another  dream  disap 
peared  ;  no  money  in 
the  thing.  So  he  said — 

"All  right,  take  it  at 
that.  Draw  me  a  paper."  ONE-ARMED  PETE. 

He  went  his  way  with 

the  paper,  and  dropped  the  matter  out  of  his  mind- 
dropped  it  out  to  make  room  for  further  attempts  to 
think  out  the  most  promising  way  to  invest  his  half  of 
the  reward,  in  case  a  partnership  investment  satisfac 
tory  to  both  beneficiaries  could  not  be  hit  upon. 

He  had  not  been  very  long  at  home  when  Sellers 


52  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

arrived  sodden  with  grief  and  booming  with  glad  ex 
citement — working  both  these  emotions  successfully, 
sometimes  separately,  sometimes  together.  He  fell  on 
Hawkins's  neck  sobbing,  and  said — 

"  Oh,  mourn  with  me  my  friend,  mourn  for  my  deso 
late  house  :  death  has  smitten  my  last  kinsman  and  I 
am  Earl  of  Rossmore — congratulate  me  !  " 

He  turned  to  his  wife,  who  had  entered  while  this 
was  going  on,  put  his  arms  about  her  and  said — "  You 
will  bear  up,  for  my  sake,  my  lady — it  had  to  happen, 
it  was  decreed." 

She  bore  up  very  well,  and  said — 

"  It's  no  great  loss.  Simon  Lathers  was  a  poor 
well-meaning  useless  thing  and  no  account,  and  his 
brother  never  was  worth  shucks." 

The  rightful  earl  continued — 

"  I  am  too  much  prostrated  by  these  conflicting 
griefs  and  joys  to  be  able  to  concentrate  my  mind  upon 
affairs  ;  I  will  ask  our  good  friend  here  to  break  the 
news  by  wire  or  post  to  the  Lady  Gwendolen  and  in 
struct  her  to — " 

"  What  Lady  Gwendolen  ?  " 

"  Our  poor  daughter,  who,  alas  !— 

"Sally  Sellers?  Mulberry  Sellers,  are  you  losing 
your  mind  ?  " 

"  There — please  do  not  forget  who  you  are,  and  who 
I  am  ;  remember  your  own  dignity,  be  considerate  also 
of  mine.  It  were  best  to  cease  from  using  my  family 
name,  now,  Lady  Rossmore." 

"  Goodness  gracious,  well,  I  never  !  What  am  I  to 
call  you  then  ?  " 

"  In  private,  the  ordinary  terms  of  endearment  will 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  53 

still  be  admissible,  to  some  degree  ;  but  in  public  it 
will  be  more  becoming  if  your  ladyship  will  speak  to 
me  as  my  lord,  or  your  lordship,  and  of  me  as  Ross- 
more,  or  the  Earl,  or  his  Lordship,  and — 

"  Oh,  scat !     I  can't  ever  do  it,  Berry." 

"  But  indeed  you  must,  my  love — we  must  live  up  to 
our  altered  position  and  submit  with  what  grace  we  may 
to  its  requirements." 

"  Well,  all  right,  have  it  your  own  way  ;  I've  never 
set  my  wishes  against  your  commands  yet,  Mul — my 
lord,  and  it's  late  to  begin  now,  though  to  my  mind  it's 
the  rottenest  foolishness  that  ever  was." 

"  Spoken  like  my  own  true  wife  !  There,  kiss  and 
be  friends  again." 

"  But — Gwendolen  !  I  don't  know  how  I  am  ever 
going  to  stand  that  name.  Why,  a  body  v/ouldn't  know 
Sally  Sellers  in  it.  It's  too  large  for  her  ;  kind  of  like 
a  cherub  in  an  ulster,  and  it's  a  most  outlandish  sort  of 
a  name,  anyway,  to  my  mind." 

"  You'll  not  hear  her  find  fault  with  it,,  my  lady." 

"That's  a  true  word.  She  takes  to  any  kind  of  ro 
mantic  rubbish  like  she  was  born  to  it.  She  never  got 
it  from  me,  that's  sure.  And  sending  her  to  that  silly 
college  hasn't  helped  the  matter  any — just  the  other 
way." 

"  Now  hear  her,  Hawkins  !  Rowena-Ivanhoe  College 
is  the  selectest  and  most  aristocratic  seat  of  learning 
for  young  ladies  in  our  country.  Under  no  circum 
stances  can  a  girl  get  in  there  unless  she  is  either  very 
rich  and  fashionable  or  can  prove  four  generations  of 
what  may  be  called  American  nobility.  Castellated 
college-buildings — towers  and  turrets  and  an  imitation 


54  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

moat — and  everything  about  the  place  named  out  of 
Sir  Walter  Scott's  books  and  redolent  of  royalty  and 
state  and  style  ;  and  all  the  richest  girls  keep  phaetons, 
and  coachmen  in  livery,  and  riding-horses,  with  Eng 
lish  grooms  in  plug  hats  and  tight-buttoned  coats,  and 
top-boots,  and  a  whip-handle  without  any  whip  to  it, 
to  ride  sixty-three  feet  behind  them — " 

"  And  they  don't  learn  a  blessed  thing,  Washington 
Hawkins,  not  a  single  blessed  thing  but  showy  rubbish 
and  unamerican  pretentiousness.  But  send  for  the  Lady 
Gwendolen — do  ;  for  I  reckon  the  peerage  regulations 
require  that  she  must  come  home  and  let  on  to  go  into 
seclusion  and  mourn  for  those  Arkansas  blatherskites 
she's  lost." 

"  My  darling  !  Blatherskites  ?  Remember — noblesse 
oblige" 

"  There,  there  —  talk  to  me  in  your  own  tongue, 
Ross — you  don't  know  any  other,  and  you  only  botch 
it  when  you  try.  Oh,  don't  stare — it  was  a  slip,  and  no 
crime  ;  customs  of  a  life-time  can't  be  dropped  in  a 
second.  Ttossmore — there,  now,  be  appeased,  and  go 
along  with  you  and  attend  to  Gwendolen.  Are  you 
going  to  write,  Washington  ? — or  telegraph  ?  " 

"  He  will  telegraph,  dear." 

v<  I  thought  as  much,"  my  lady  muttered,  as  she  left 
the  room.  "  Wants  it  so  the  address  will  have  to  ap 
pear  on  the  envelop.  It  will  just  make  a  fool  of  that 
child.  She'll  get  it,  of  course,  for  if  there  are  any  other 
Sellerses  there  they'll  not  be  able  to  claim  it.  And 
just  leave  her  alone  to  show  it  around  and  make  the 

most  of  it. Well,   maybe   she's   forgivable   for 

that.     She's  so  poor  and  they're  so  rich,  of  course  she's 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  55 

had  her  share  of  snubs  from  the  livery-flunkey  sort,  and 
I  reckon  it's  only  human  to  want  to  get  even." 

Uncle  Dan'l  was  sent  with  the  telegram  ;  for  al 
though  a  conspicuous  object  in  a  corner  of  the  drawing- 
room  was  a  telephone  hanging  on  a  transmitter,  Wash 
ington  found  all  attempts  to  raise  the  central  office 
vain.  The  Colonel  grumbled  something  about  its  be 
ing  "always  out  of  order  when  you've  got  particular 
and  especial  use  for  it,"  but  he  didn't  explain  that  one 
of  the  reasons  for  this  was  that  the  thing  was  only  a 
dummy  and  hadn't  any  wire  attached  to  it.  And  yet 
the  Colonel  often  used  it — when  visitors  were  present — 
and  seemed  to  get  messages  through  it.  Mourning  paper 
and  a  seal  were  ordered,  then  the  friends  took  a  rest. 

Next  afternoon,  while  Hawkins,  by  request,  draped 
Andrew  Jackson's  portrait  with  crape,  the  rightful  earl 
wrote  off  the  family  bereavement  to  the  usurper  in 
England — a  letter  which  we  have  already  read.  He 
also,  by  letter  to  the  village  authorities  at  Duffy's  Cor 
ners,  Arkansas,  gave  order  that  the  remains  of  the  late 
twins  be  embalmed  by  some  St.  Louis  expert  and 
shipped  at  once  to  the  usurper — with  bill.  Then  he 
drafted  out  the  Rossmore  arms  and  motto  on  a  great 
sheet  of  brown  paper,  and  he  and  Hawkins  took  it  to 
Hawkins's  Yankee  furniture-mender  and  at  the  end  of 
an  hour  came  back  with  a  couple  of  stunning  hatch 
ments,  which  they  nailed  up  on  the  front  of  the  house 
— attractions  calculated  to  draw,  and  they  did  ;  for  it 
was  mainly  an  idle  and  shiftless  negro  neighborhood, 
with  plenty  of  ragged  children  and  indolent  dogs  to 
spare  for  a  point  of  interest  like  that,  and  keep  on  spar 
ing  them  for  it,  days  and  days  together. 


56  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

The  new  earl  found — without  surprise — this  society 
item  in  the  evening  paper,  and  cut  it  out  and  scrap- 
booked  it : 

By  a  recent  bereavement  our  esteemed  fellow  citizen,  Colonel 
Mulberry  Sellers,  Perpetual  Member-at-large  of  the  Diplomatic 
Body,  succeeds,  as  rightful  lord,  to  the  great  earldom  of  Ross- 
more,  third  by  order  of  precedence  in  the  earldoms  of  Great 
Britain,  and  will  take  early  measures,  bv  suit  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  to  wrest  the  title  and  estates  from  the  present  usurping 
holder  of  them.  Until  the  season  of  mourning  is  past,  the  usual 
Thursday  evening  receptions  at  Rossmore  Towers  will  be  dis 
continued. 

Lady  Rossmore's  comment — to  herself: 
"  Receptions  !  People  who  don't  rightly  know  him 
may  think  he  is  commonplace,  but  to  my  mind  he  is  one 
of  the  most  unusual  men  I  ever  saw.  As  for  suddenness 
and  capacity  in  imagining  things,  his  beat  don't  exist, 
I  reckon.  As  like  as  not  it  wouldn't  have  occurred  to 
anybody  else  to  name  this  poor  old  rat-trap  Rossmore 
Towers,  but  it  just  comes  natural  to  him.  Well,  no 
doubt  it's  a  blessed  thing  to  have  an  imagination  that 
can  always  make  you  satisfied,  no  matter  how  you  are 
fixed.  Uncle  Dave  Hopkins  used  to  always  say,  '  Turn 
me  into  John  Calvin,  and  I  want  to  know  which  place 
I'm  going  to  ;  turn  me  into  Mulberry  Sellers  and  I 
don't  care.'  " 

The  rightful  earl's  comment — to  himself: 
"  It's  a  beautiful  name,  beautiful.     Pity  I  didn't  think 
of  it  before  I  wrote  the  usurper.     But  I'll  be  ready  for 
him  when  he  answers." 


CHAPTER  V. 

No  answer  to  that  telegram  ;  no  arriving  daughter. 
Yet  nobody  showed  any  uneasiness  or  seemed  sur 
prised  ;  that  is,  nobody  but  Washington.  After  three 
days  of  waiting,  he  asked  Lady  Rossmore  what  she 
supposed  the  trouble  was.  She  answered,  tranquilly  ; 

"Oh,  it's  some  notion  of  hers,  you  never  can  tell. 
She's  a  Sellers,  all  through — at  least  in  some  of  her 
ways  ;  and  a  Sellers  can't  tell  you  beforehand  what  he's 
going  to  do,  because  he  don't  know  himself  till  he's 
done  it.  Shes  all  right ;  no  occasion  to  worry  about 
her.  When  she's  ready  she'll  come  or  she'll  write,  and 
you  can't  tell  which,  till  it's  happened." 

It  turned  out  to  be  a  letter.  It  was  handed  in  at  that 
moment,  and  was  received  by  the  mother  without 
trembling  hands  or  feverish  eagerness,  or  any  other  of 
the  manifestations  common  in  the  case  of  long  delayed 
answers  to  imperative  telegrams.  She  polished  her 
glasses  with  tranquility  and  thoroughness,  pleasantly 
gossiping  along,  the  while,  then  opened  the  letter  and 
began  to  read  aloud  : 

KENILWORTH   KEEP,  REDGAUNTLET  HALL, 
ROWENA-IVANHOE  COLLEGE,  THURSDAY. 
DEAR  PRECIOUS  MAMMA  ROSSMORE: 

Oh,  the  joy  of  it! — you  can't  think.  They  had  always 
turned  up  their  noses  at  our  pretentions,  you  know;  and  I  had 
fought  back  as  well  as  I  could  by  turning  up  mine  at  theirs.  They 
always  said  it  might  be  something  great  and  fine  to  be  rightful 


58  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

Shadow  of  an  earldom,  but  to  merely  be  shadow  of  a  shadow, 
and  two  or  three  times  removed  at  that — pooh-pooh!  And  I 
always  retorted  that  not  to  be  able  to  show  four  generations  of 
American  -  Colonial  -  Dutch  -  Peddler  -  and-Salt-Cod-McAllister- 
Nobility  might  be  endurable,  but  to  have  to  confess  such  an  ori 
gin — pfew-few!  Well,  the  telegram,  it  was  just  a  cyclone!  The 
messenger  came  right  into  the  great  Rob  Roy  Hall  of  Audience, 
as  excited  as  he  could  be,  singing  out,  "Dispatch  for  Lady 
Gwendolen  Sellers!  "  and  you  ought  to  have  seen  that  simpering 
chattering  assemblage  of  pinchbeck  aristocrats  turn  to  stone!  I 
was  off  in  the  corner,  of  course,  by  myself — it's  where  Cinderella 
belongs.  I  took  the  telegram  and  read  it,  and  tried  to  faint — 
and  I  could  have  done  it  if  I  had  had  any  preparation,  but  it  was 
all  so  sudden,  you  know — but  no  matter,  I  did  the  next  best 
thing:  I  put  my  handkerchief  to  my  eyes  and  fled  sobbing  to  my 
room,  dropping  the  telegram  as  I  started.  I  released  one  corner 
of  my  eye  a  moment — just  enough  to  see  the  herd  swarm  for  the 
telegram — and  then  continued  my  broken-hearted  flight  just  as 
happy  as  a  bird. 

Then  the  visits  of  condolence  began,  and  I  had  to  accept  the 
loan  of  Miss  Augusta-Templeton-Ashmore  Hamilton's  quarters 
because  the  press  was  so  great  and  there  isn't  room  for  three  and 
a  cat  in  mine.  And  I've  been  holding  a  Lodge  of  Sorrow  ever 
since  and  defending  myself  against  people's  attempts  to  claim 
kin.  And  do  you  know,  the  very  first  girl  to  fetch  her  tears  and 
sympathy  to  my  market  was  that  foolish  Skimperton  girl  who 
has  always  snubbed  me  so  shamefully  and  claimed  lordship  and 
precedence  of  the  whole  college  because  some  ancestor  of  hers, 
some  time  or  other,  was  a  McAllister.  Why  it  was  like  the  bot 
tom  bird  in  the  menagerie  putting  on  airs  because  its  head  an 
cestor  was  a  pterodactyl. 

But  the  ger-reatest  triumph  of  all  was — guess.  But  you'll 
never.  This  is  it.  That  little  fool  and  two  others  have  always 
been  fussing  and  fretting  over  which  was  entitled  to  precedence 
— by  rank,  you  know.  They've  nearly  starved  themselves  at  it; 
for  each  claimed  the  right  to  take  precedence  of  all  the  college 
in  leaving  the  table,  and  so  neither  of  them  ever  finished  her 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  59 

dinner,  but  broke  off  in  the  middle  and  tried  to  get  out  ahead  of 
the  others.  Well,  after  my  first  day's  grief  and  seclusion — I  was 
fixing  up  a  mourning  dress  you  see — I  appeared  at  the  public 
table  again,  and  then — what  do  you  think  ?  Those  three  fluffy 
goslings  sat  there  contentedly,  and  squared  up  the  long  famine 
— lapped  and  lapped,  munched  and  munched,  ate  and  ate,  till 
the  gravy  appeared  in  their  eyes — humbly  waiting  for  the  Lady 
Gwendolen  to  take  precedence  and  move  out  first,  you  see  ! 

Oh,  yes,  I've  been  having  a  darling  good  time.  And  do  you 
know,  not  one  of  these  collegians  has  had  the  cruelty  to  ask  me 
how  I  came  by  my  new  name.  With  some,  this  is  due  to  charity, 
but  with  the  others  it  isn't.  They  refrain,  not  from  native  kind 
ness  but  from  educated  discretion.  I  educated  them. 

Well,  as  soon  as  I  shall  have  settled  up  what's  left  of  the  old 
scores  and  snuffed  up  a  few  more  of  those  pleasantly  intoxicating 
clouds  of  incense,  I  shall  pack  and  depart  homeward.  Tell  papa 
I  am  as  fond  of  him  as  I  am  of  my  new  name.  I  couldn't  put  it 
stronger  than  that.  What  an  inspiration  it  was  !  But  inspira 
tions  come  easy  to  him. 

These,  from  your  loving  daughter, 
GWENDOLEN. 

Hawkins  reached  for  the  letter  and  glanced  over  it. 

"Good  hand,"  he  said,  "  and  full  of  confidence  and 
animation,  and  goes  racing  right  along.  She's  bright 
—that's  plain." 

"  Oh,  they're  all  bright — the  Sellerses.  Anyway, 
they  would  be,  if  there  were  any.  Even  those  poor 
Latherses  would  have  been  bright  if  they  had  been 
Sellerses  ;  I  mean  full  blood.  Of  course  they  had  a 
Sellers  strain  in  them — a  big  strain  of  it,  too — but  being 
a  Bland  dollar  don't  make  it  a  dollar  just  the  same." 

The  seventh  day  after  the  date  of  the  telegram 
Washington  came  dreaming  down  to  breakfast  and  was 
set  wide  awake  by  an  electrical  spasm  of  pleasure. 


6O  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

Here  was  the  most  beautiful  young  creature  he  had 
ever  seen  in  his  life.  It  was  Sally  Sellers  Lady  Gwen 
dolen  ;  she  had  come  in  the  night.  And  it  seemed  to 
him  that  her  clothes  were  the  prettiest  and  the  dainti 
est  he  had  ever  looked  upon,  and  the  most  exquisitely 
contrived  and  fashioned  and  combined,  as  to  decorative 
trimmings,  and  fixings,  and  melting  harmonies  of  color. 
It  was  only  a  morning  dress,  and  inexpensive,  but  he 
confessed  to  himself,  in  the  English  common  to  Chero 
kee  Strip,  that  it  was  a  "  corker."  And  now,  as  he 
perceived,  the  reason  why  the  Sellers  household  pov 
erties  and  sterilities  had  been  made  to  blossom  like  the 
rose,  and  charm  the  eye  and  satisfy  the  spirit,  stood 
explained  ;  here  was  the  magician  ;  here  in  the  midst 
of  her  works,  and  furnishing  in  her  own  person  the  prop 
er  accent  and  climaxing  finish  of  the  whole. 

"  My  daughter,  Major  Hawkins  —  come  home  to 
mourn  ;  flown  home  at  the  call  of  affliction  to  help  the 
authors  of  her  being  bear  the  burden  of  bereavement. 
She  was  very  fond  of  the  late  earl — idolized  him,  sir, 
idolized  him— 

''Why,  father,  I've  never  seen  him." 

"  True — she's  right,  I  was  thinking  of  another — er — 
of  her  mother — 

"/idolized  that  smoked  haddock  ? — that  sentimen 
tal,  spiritless — 

"  I  was  thinking  of  myself!  Poor  noble  fellow,  we 
were  inseparable  com— 

"  Hear  the  man  !  Mulberry  Sel — Mul — Rossmore  ! 
— hang  the  troublesome  name  I  can  never — if  I've 
heard  you  say  once,  I've  heard  you  say  a  thousand 
times  that  if  that  poor  sheep — 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


6l 


"  I  was  thinking  of — of — I  don't  know  who  I  was 
thinking  of,  and  it  doesn't  make  any  difference  anyway  ; 
somebody  idolized  him,  I  recollect  it  as  if  it  were  yes 
terday  ;  and — 

"  Father,  I   am   going    to  shake    hands   with  Major 


"  FATHER,  I  AM  GOING  TO  SHAKE  HANDS  WITH  MAJOR  HAWKINS." 

Hawkins,  and  let  the  introduction  work  along  and 
catch  up  at  its  leisure.  I  remember  you  very  well  in 
deed,  Major  Hawkins,  although  I  was  a  little  child 
when  I  saw  you  last ;  and  I  am  very,  very  glad  indeed 
to  see  you  again  and  have  you  in  our  house  as  one  of 


62  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

us  ; "  and  beaming  in  his  face  she  finished  her  cordial 
shake  with  the  hope  that  he  had  not  forgotten  her. 

He  was  prodigiously  pleased  by  her  outspoken 
heartiness,  and  wanted  to  repay  her  by  assuring  her 
that  he  remembered  her,  and  not  only  that  but  better 
even  than  he  remembered  his  own  children,  but  the 
facts  would  not  quite  warrant  this  ;  still,  he  stumbled 
through  a  tangled  sentence  which  answered  just  as 
well,  since  the  purport  of  it  was  an  awkward  and  unin 
tentional  confession  that  her  extraordinary  beauty  had 
so  stupefied  him  that  he  hadn't  got  back  to  his  bear 
ings,  yet,  and  therefore  couldn't  be  certain  as  to  whether 
he  remembered  her  at  all  or  not.  The  speech  made 
him  her  friend  ;  it  couldn't  well  help  it. 

In  truth  the  beauty  of  this  fair  creature  was  of  a  rare 
type,  and  may  well  excuse  a  moment  of  our  time  spent 
in  its  consideration.  It  did  not  consist  in  the  fact  that 
she  had  eyes,  nose,  mouth,  chin,  hair,  ears,  it  consisted 
in  their  arrangement.  In  true  beauty,  more  depends 
upon  right  location  and  judicious  distribution  of  feature 
than  upon  multiplicity  of  them.  So  also  as  regards 
color.  The  very  combination  of  colors  which  in  a  vol 
canic  irruption  would  add  beauty  to  a  landscape  might 
detach  it  from  a  girl.  Such  was  Gwendolen  Sellers. 

The  family  circle  being  completed  by  Gwendolen's 
arrival,  it  was  decreed  that  the  official  mourning  should 
now  begin  ;  that  it  should  begin  at  six  o'clock  every 
evening,  (the  dinner  hour,)  and  end  with  the  dinner. 

"  It's  a  grand  old  line,  major,  a  sublime  old  line,  and 
deserves  to  be  mourned  for,  almost  royally  ;  almost 
imperially,  I  may  say.  Er  —  Lady  Gwendolen — but 
she's  gone  ;  never  mind ;  I  wanted  my  Peerage  ;  I'll 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  63 

fetch  it  myself,  presently,  and  show  you  a  thing  or  two 
that  will  give  you  a  realizing  idea  of  what  our  house  is. 
I've  been  glancing  through  Burke,  and  I  find  that  of 
William  the  Conqueror's  sixty-four  natural  ch  —  my 
dear,  would  you  mind  getting  me  that  book  ?  It's  on 
the  escritoire  in  our  boudoir.  Yes,  as  I  was  saying, 
there's  only  St.  Albans,  Buccleugh  and  Grafton  ahead 
of  us  on  the  list — all  the  rest  of  the  British  nobility  are 
in  procession  behind  us.  Ah,  thanks,  my  lady.  Now 
then,  we  turn  to  William,  and  we  find — letter  for  X  YZ  ? 
Oh,  splendid — when'd  you  get  it  ?" 

"  Last  night  ;  but  I  was  asleep  before  you  came,  you 
were  out  so  late  ;  and  when  I  came  to  breakfast  Miss 
Gwendolen—well,  she  knocked  everything  out  of  me, 
you  know— 

"  Wonderful  girl,  wonderful  ;  her  great  origin  is  de 
tectable  in  her  step,  her  carriage,  her  features — but 
what  does  he  say  ?  Come,  this  is  exciting." 

"  I  haven't  read  it — er — Rossm — Mr.  Rossm — er — 

"  M'lord  !  Just  cut  it  short  like  that.  It's  the  Eng 
lish  way.  I'll  open  it.  Ah,  now  let's  see." 

A       TO  YOU  KNOW  WHO.     Think  I  know  you.  '  Wait  ten 
•**••         days.     Coming  to  Washington. 

The  excitement  died  out  of  both  men's  faces.  There 
was  a  brooding  silence  for  a  while,  then  the  younger 
one  said  with  a  sigh  : 

"  Why,  we  can't  wait  ten  days  for  the  money." 

«  No — the  man's  unreasonable  ;  we  are  down  to  the 
bed  rock,  financially  speaking." 

"If  we  could  explain  to  him  in  some  way,  that  we 


64  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

are  so  situated  that  time  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
us—" 

"  Yes-yes,  that's  it — and  so  if  it  would   be   as  con 
venient  for  him  to   come   at  once  it  would  be  a  great 
accommodation  to  us,  and  one  which  we — which  we — " 
— "  which  we — wh — 
— "  well,  which  we  should  sincerely  appreciate — " 

"  That's  it — and  most  gladly  reciprocate — " 

"Certainly— that'll  fetch  him.  Worded  right,  if  he's 
a  man — got  any  of  the  feelings  of  a  man,  sympathies 
and  all  that,  he'll  be  here  inside  of  twenty-four  hours. 
Pen  and  paper — come,  we'll  get  right  at  it." 

Between  them  they  framed  twenty-two  different  ad 
vertisements,  but  none  was  satisfactory.  A  main  fault 
in  all  of  them  was  urgency.  That  feature  was  very 
troublesome  :  if  made  prominent,  it  was  calculated  to 
excite  Pete's  suspicion  ;  if  modified  below  the  suspicion- 
point  it  was  flat  and  meaningless.  Finally  the  Colonel 
resigned,  and  said — 

"  I  have  noticed,  in  such  literary  experiences  as  I 
have  had,  that  one  of  the  most  taking  things  to  do  is 
to  conceal  your  meaning  when  you  are  trying  to  con 
ceal  it.  Whereas,  if  you  go  at  literature  with  a  free 
conscience  and  nothing  to  conceal,  you  can  turn  out  a 
book,  every  time,  that  the  very  elect  can't  understand. 
They  all  do." 

Then  Hawkins  resigned  also,  and  the  two  agreed 
that  they  must  manage  to  wait  the  ten  days  some  how 
or  other.  Next,  they  caught  a  ray  of  cheer:  since 
they  had  something  definite  to  go  upon,  now,  they 
could  probably  borrow  money  on  the  reward — enough, 
at  any  rate,  to  tide  them  over  till  they  got  it;  and 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  65 

meantime  the  materializing  recipe  would  be  perfected, 
and  then  good  bye  to  trouble  for  good  and  all. 

The  next  day,  May  the  tenth,  a  couple  of  things 
happened — among  others.  The  remains  of  the  noble 
Arkansas  twins  left  our  shores  for  England,  consigned 
to  Lord  Rossmore,  and  Lord  Rossmore's  son,  Kirkcud 
bright  Llanover  Marjoribanks  Sellers  Viscount  Berke 
ley,  sailed  from  Liverpool  for  America  to  place  the 
reversion  of  the  earldom  in  the  hands  of  the  rightful 
peer,  Mulberry  Sellers,  of  Rossmore  Towers  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  U.  S.  A. 

These  two  impressive  shipments  would  meet  and 
part  in  mid-Atlantic,  five  days  later,  and  give  no  sign. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

IN  the  course  of  time  the  twins  arrived  and  were  de 
livered  to  their  great  kinsman.  To  try  to  describe  the 
rage  of  that  old  man  would  profit  nothing,  the  attempt 
would  fall  so  far  short  of  the  purpose.  However  when 
he  had  worn  himself  out  and  got  quiet  again,  he  looked 
the  matter  over  and  decided  that  the  twins  had  some 
moral  rights,  although  they  had  no  legal  ones;  they 
were  of  his  blood,  and  it  could  not  be  decorous  to  treat 
them  as  common  clay.  So  he  laid  them  with  their 
majestic  kin  in  the  Cholmondeley  church,  with  impos 
ing  state  and  ceremony,  and  added  the  supreme  touch 
by  officiating  as  chief  mourner  himself.  But  he  drew 
the  line  at  hatchments. 

Our  friends  in  Washington  watched  the  weary  days 
go  by,  while  they  waited  for  Pete  and  covered  his 
name  with  reproaches  because  of  his  calamitous  pro 
crastinations.  Meantime,  Sally  Sellers,  who  was  as 
practical  and  democratic  as  the  Lady  Gwendolen  Sel 
lers  was  romantic  and  aristocratic,  was  leading  a  life 
of  intense  interest  and  activity  and  getting  the  most 
she  could  out  of  her  double  personality.  All  day  long 
in  the  privacy  of  her  work-room,  Sally  Sellers  earned 
bread  for  the  Sellers  family;  and  all  the  evening  Lady 
Gwendolen  Sellers  supported  the  Rossmore  dignity. 
All  day  she  was  American,  practically,  and  proud  of 
the  work  of  her  head  and  hands  and  its  commercial 
result;  all  the  evening  she  took  holiday  and  dwelt  in  a 

66 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  67 

rich  shadow-land  peopled  with  titled  and  coronetecl 
fictions.  By  day,  to  her,  the  place  was  a  plain,  unaf 
fected,  ramshackle  old  trap — just  that,  and  nothing 
more;  by  night  it  was  Rossmore  Towers.  At  college 
she  had  learned  a  trade  without  knowing  it.  The  girls 
had  found  out  that  she  was  the  designer  of  her  own 
gowns.  She  had  no  idle  moments  after  that,  and 
wanted  none;  for  the  exercise  of  an  extraordinary  gift 
is  the  supremest  pleasure  in  life,  and  it  was  manifest 
that  Sally  Sellers  possessed  a  gift  of  that  sort  in  the 
matter  of  costume-designing.  Within  three  days  after 
reaching  home  she  had  hunted  up  some  work;  before 
Pete  was  yet  due  in  Washington,  and  before  the  twins 
were  fairly  asleep  in  English  soil,  she  was  already 
nearly  swamped  with  work,  and  the  sacrificing  of  the 
family  chromos  for  debt  had  got  an  effective  check. 

"  She's  a  brick,"  said  Rossmore  to  the  Major;  "  just 
her  father  all  over  :  prompt  to  labor  with  head  or 
hands,  and  not  ashamed  of  it ;  capable,  always  ca 
pable,  let  the  enterprise  be  what  it  may;  successful  by 
nature — don't  know  what  defeat  is;  thus,  intensely  and 
practically  American  by  inhaled  nationalism,  and  at 
the  same  time  intensely  and  aristocratically  European 
by  inherited  nobility  of  blood.  Just  me,  exactly:  Mul 
berry  Sellers  in  matter  of  finance  and  invention;  after 
office  hours,  what  do  you  find  ?  The  same  clothes, 
yes,  but  what's  in  them  ?  Rossmore  of  the  peerage." 

The  two  friends  had  haunted  the  general  post-office 
daily.  At  last  they  had  their  reward.  Toward  even 
ing  the  20th  of  May,  they  got  a  letter  for  XYZ.  It 
bore  the  Washington  postmark;  the  note  itself  was  not 
dated.  It  said: 


68  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"Ash  barrel  back  of  lamp  post  Black  horse  Alley.  If  you 
are  playing  square  go  and  set  on  it  to-morrow  morning  2ist 
10.22  not  sooner  not  later  wait  till  I  come." 

The  friends  cogitated  over  the  note  profoundly. 
Presently  the  earl  said: 

"Don't  you  reckon  he's  afraid  we  are  a  sheriff  with  a 
requisition  ?  " 

"Why,  m'lord?" 

"Because  that's  no  place  for  a  seance.  Nothing 
friendly,  nothing  sociable  about  it.  And  at  the  same 
time,  a  body  that  wanted  to  know  who  was  roosting  on 
that  ash-barrel  without  exposing  himself  by  going  near 
it,  or  seeming  to  be  interested  in  it,  could  just  stand 
on  the  street  corner  and  take  a  glance  down  the  alley 
and  satisfy  himself,  don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  Yes,  his  idea  is  plain,  now.  He  seems  to  be  a  man 
that  can't  be  candid  and  straightforward.  He  acts  as 
if  he  thought  we — shucks,  I  wish  he  had  come  out  like 
a  man  and  told  us  what  hotel  he — 

"  Now  you've  struck  it !  you've  struck  it  sure,  Wash 
ington;  he  has  told  us." 

"Has  he?" 

"  Yes,  he  has;  but  he  didn't  mean  to.  That  alley  is 
a  lonesome  little  pocket  that  runs  along  one  side  of 
the  NewGadsby.  That's  his  hotel." 

"  What  makes  you  think  that  ? " 

"Why,  I  just  know  it.  He's  got  a  room  that's 
just  across  from  that  lamp  post.  He's  going  to  sit 
there  perfectly  comfortable  behind  his  shutters  at 
10.22  to-morrow,  and  when  he  sees  us  sitting  on 
the  ash-barrel,  he'll  say  to  himself,  '  I  saw  one  of 
those  fellows  on  tke  train ' — and  then  he'll  pack  his 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  69 

satchel  in  half  a  minute  and  ship  for  the  ends  of  the 
earth." 

Hawkins  turned  sick  with  disappointment: 

"Oh,  dear,  it's  all  up,  Colonel — it's  exactly  what 
he'll  do." 

"  Indeed  he  won't !  " 

"Won't  he  ?     Why?" 

"  Because  you  won't  be  holding  the  ash  barrel  down, 
it'll  be  me.  You'll  be  coming  in  with  an  officer  and  a 
requisition  in  plain  clothes — the  officer,  I  mean — the 
minute  you  see  him  arrive  and  open  up  a  talk  with  me." 

"  Well,  what  a  head  you  have  got,  Colonel  Sellers  ! 
I  never  should  have  thought  of  that  in  the  world." 

"  Neither  would  any  earl  of  Rossmore,  betwixt  Will 
iam's  contribution  and  Mulberry — as  earl;  but  it's 
office  hours,  now,  you  see,  and  the  earl  in  me  sleeps. 
Come — I'll  show  you  his  very  room." 

They  reached  the  neighborhood  of  the  New  Gadsby 
about  nine  in  the  evening,  and  passed  down  the  alley 
to  the  lamp  post. 

"There  you  are,"  said  the  colonel,  triumphantly, 
with  a  wave  of  his  hand  which  took  in  the  whole  side 
of  the  hotel.  "  There  it  is — what  did  I  tell  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  but — why,  Colonel,  it's  six  stories  high.  I 
don't  quite  make  out  which  window  you — 

"All  the  windows,  all  of  them.  Let  him  have  his 
choice — I'm  indifferent,  now  that  I  have  located  him. 
You  go  and  stand  on  the  corner  and  wait;  I'll  pros 
pect  the  hotel." 

The  earl  drifted  here  and  there  through  the  swarm 
ing  lobby,  and  finally  took  a  waiting  position  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  elevator.  During  an  hour  crowds 


7O  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

went  up  and  crowds  came  down;  and  all  complete  as 
to  limbs;  but  at  last  the  watcher  got  a  glimpse  of  a 
figure  that  was  satisfactory— got  a  glimpse  of  the  back 
of  it,  though  he  had  missed  his  chance  at  the  face' 
through  waning  alertness.  The  glimpse  revealed  a 
cowboy  hat,  and  below  it  a  plaided  sack  of  rather  loud 
pattern,  and  an  empty  sleeve  pinned  up  to  the  shoul 
der.  Then  the  elevator  snatched  the  vision  aloft  and 
the  watcher  fled  away  in  joyful  excitement,  and  re 
joined  the  fellow-conspirator. 

"We've  got  him,  Major — got  him  sure!  I've  seen 
him — seen  him  good;  and  I  don't  care  where  or  when 
that  man  approaches  me  backwards,  I'll  recognize  him 
everytime.  We're  all  right.  Now  for  the  requisition." 

They  got  it,  after  the  delays  usual  in  such  cases. 
By  half  past  eleven  they  were  at  home  and  happy,  and 
went  to  bed  full  of  dreams  of  the  morrow's  great 
promise. 

Among  the  elevator  load  which  had  the  suspect  for 
fellow-passenger  was  a  young  kinsman  of  Mulberry 
Sellers,  but  Mulberry  was  not  aware  of  it  and  didn't 
see  him.  It  was  Viscount  Berkeley. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

ARRIVED  in  his  room  Lord  Berkeley  made  prepara 
tions  for  that  first  and  last  and  all-the-time  duty  of  the 
visiting  Englishman — the  jotting  down  in  his  diary  of 
his  "  impressions  "  to  date.  His  preparations  consisted 
in  ransacking  his  "  box  "  for  a  pen.  There  was  a  plenty 
of  steel  pens  on  his  table  with  the  ink  bottle,  but  he 
was  English.  The  English  people  manufacture  steel 
pens  for  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  globe,  but  they 
never  use  any  themselves.  They  use  exclusively  the 
pre-historic  quill.  My  lord  not  only  found  a  quill  pen, 
but  the  best  one  he  had  seen  in  several  years — and 
after  writing  diligently  for  some  time,  closed  with  the 
following  entry: 


•$0>f  ^JD^  A^J^  ^«u^^4^^U<|_^X  'JUKl*^    - 

us  USl(^sW^~ ~f*^>~^ 


72  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

He  sat  admiring  that  pen  a  while,  and  then  went  on: 

"  All  attempts  to  mingle  with  the  common  people  and  be 
come  permanently  one  of  them  are  going  to  fail,  unless  I  can 
get  rid  of  it,  disappear  from  it,  and  re-appear  with  the  solid  pro 
tection  of  a  new  name.  I  am  astonished  and  pained  to  see  how 
eager  the  most  of  these  Americans  are  to  get  acquainted  with  a 
lord,  and  how  diligent  they  are  in  pushing  attentions  upon  him. 
They  lack  English  servility,  it  is  true — but  they  could  acquire  it, 
with  practice.  My  quality  travels  ahead  of  me  in  the  most 
mysterious  way.  I  write  my  family  name  without  additions,  on 
the  register  of  this  hotel,  and  imagine  that  I  am  going  to  pass 
for  an  obscure  and  unknown  wanderer,  but  the  clerk  promptly 
calls  out,  '  Front  !  show  his  lordship  to  four-eighty-two  ! '  and 
before  I  can  get  to  the  lift  there  is  a  reporter  trying  to  interview 
me,  as  they  call  it.  This  sort  of  thing  shall  cease  at  once.  I 
will  hunt  up  the  American  Claimant  the  first  thing  in  the  morn 
ing,  accomplish  my  mission,  then  change  my  lodging  and  van 
ish  from  scrutiny  under  a  fictitious  name." 

He  left  his  diary  on  the  table,  where  it  would  be 
handy  in  case  any  new  "impressions"  should  wake 
him  up  in  the  night,  then  he  went  to  bed  and  presently 
fell  asleep.  An  hour  or  two  passed,  and  then  he  came 
slowly  to  consciousness  with  a  confusion  of  mysterious 
and  augmenting  sounds  hammering  at  the  gates  of  his 
brain  for  admission;  the  next  moment  he  was  sharply 
awake,  and  those  sounds  burst  with  the  rush  and  roar 
and  boom  of  an  undammed  freshet  into  his  ears. 
Banging  and  slamming  of  shutters;  smashing  of  win 
dows  and  the  ringing  clash  of  falling  glass;  clatter  of 
flying  feet  along  the  halls;  shrieks,  supplications,  dumb 
meanings  of  despair,  within,  hoarse  shouts  of  command 
outside;  cracklings  and  snappings,  and  the  windy  roar 
of  victorious  flames! 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  73 

Bang,  bang,  bang !  on  the  door,  and  a  cry — 

"  Turn  out — the  house  is  on  fire  !  " 

The  cry  passed  on,  and  the  banging.  Lord  Berke 
ley  sprang  out  of  bed  and  moved  with  all  possible 
speed  toward  the  clothes-press  in  the  darkness  and  the 
gathering  smoke,  but  fell  over  a  chair  and  lost  his 
bearings.  He  groped  desperately  about  on  his  hands, 
and  presently  struck  his  head  against  the  table  and 
was  deeply  grateful,  for  it  gave  him  his  bearings  again, 
since  it  stood  close  by  the  door.  He  seized  his  most 
precious  possession,  his  journaled  Impressions  of 
America,  and  darted  from  the  room. 

He  ran  down  the  deserted  hall  toward  the  red  lamp 
which  he  knew  indicated  the  place  of  a  fire-escape. 
The  door  of  the  room  beside  it  was  open.  In  the  room 
the  gas  was  burning  full  head;  on  a  chair  was  a  pile  of 
clothing.  He  ran  to  the  window,  could  not  get  it  up, 
but  smashed  it  with  a  chair,  and  stepped  out  on  the 
landing  of  the  fire-escape;  below  him  was  a  crowd  of 
men,  with  a  sprinkling  of  women  and  youth,  massed  in 
a  ruddy  light.  Must  he  go  down  in  his  spectral  night 
dress  ?  No — this  side  of  the  house  was  not  yet  on  fire 
except  at  the  further  end;  he  would  snatch  on  those 
clothes.  Which  he  did.  They  fitted  well  enough, 
though  a  trifle  loosely,  and  they  were  just  a  shade  loud 
as  to  pattern.  Also  as  to  hat — which  was  of  a  new 
breed  to  him,  Buffalo  Bill  not  having  been  to  England 
yet.  One  side  of  the  coat  went  on,  but  the  other  side 
refused;  one  of  its  sleeves  was  turned  up  and  stitched 
to  the  shoulder.  He  started  down  without  waiting  to 
get  it  loose,  made  the  trip  successfully,  and  was 
promptly  hustled  outside  the  limit-rope  by  the  police. 


AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


The  cowboy  hat  and  the  coat  but  half  on  made  him 
too  much  of  a  centre  of  attraction  for  comfort,  al 
though  nothing  could  be  more  profoundly  respectful, 


"  MUST  HE  GO  DOWN  IN  HIS  SPECTRAL  NIGHT  DRESS  ? 


not  to  say  deferential,  than  was  the  manner  of  the 
crowd  toward  him.  In  his  mind  he  framed  a  discour 
aged  remark  for  early  entry  in  his  diary:  "  ft  is  of  no 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  75 

use;  they  know  a  lord  through  any  disguise,  and  show 
awe  of  him — even  something  very  like  fear,  indeed." 

Presently  one  of  the  gaping  and  adoring  half-circle 
of  boys  ventured  a  timid  question.  My  lord  answered 
it.  The  boys  glanced  wonderingly  at  each  other  and 
from  somewhere  fell  the  comment — 

"  English  cowboy!     Well,  if  that  ain't  curious." 

Another  mental  note  to  be  preserved  for  the  diary: 
"  Cowboy.  Now  what  might  a  cowboy  be  ?  Per 
haps —  '  But  the  viscount  perceived  that  some  more 
questions  were  about  to  be  asked;  so  he  worked  his 
way  out  of  the  crowd,  released  the  sleeve,  put  on  the 
coat  and  wandered  away  to  seek  a  humble  and  obscure 
lodging.  He  found  it  and  went  to  bed  and  was  soon 
asleep. 

In  the  morning,  he  examined  his  clothes.  They  were 
rather  assertive,  it  seemed  to  him,  but  they  were  new 
and  clean,  at  any  rate.  There  was  considerable  prop 
erty  in  the  pockets.  Item,  five  one-hundred  dollar 
bills.  Item,  near  fifty  dollars  in  small  bills  and  silver. 
Plug  of  tobacco.  Hymn-book,  which  refuses  to  open; 
found  to  contain  whiskey.  Memorandum  book  bearing 
no  name.  Scattering  entries  in  it,  recording  in  a  sprawl 
ing,  ignorant  hand,  appointments,  bets,  horse-trades, 
and  so  on,  with  people  of  strange,  hyphenated  name — 
Six-Fingered  Jake,  Young-Man-afraid-of  his-Shadow, 
and  the  like.  No  letters,  no  documents. 

The  young  man  muses — maps  out  his  course.  His  let 
ter  of  credit  is  burned;  he  will  borrow  the  small  bills 
and  the  silver  in  these  pockets,  apply  part  of  it  to  adver 
tising  for  the  owner,  and  use  the  rest  for  sustenance 
while  he  seeks  work.  He  sends  out  for  the  morning 


/6  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

paper,  next,  and  proceeds  to  read  about  the  fire.  The 
biggest  line  in  the  display-head  announces  his  own 
death  !  The  body  of  the  account  furnishes  all  the  par 
ticulars;  and  tells  how,  with  the  inherited  heroism  of 
his  caste,  he  went  on  saving  women  and  children  until 
escape  for  himself  was  impossible;  then  with  the  eyes 
of  weeping  multitudes  upon  him,  he  stood  with  folded 
arms  and  sternly  awaited  the  approach  of  the  devour 
ing  fiend;  "and  so  standing,  amid  a  tossing  sea  of 
flame  and  on-rushing  billows  of  smoke,  the  noble  young 
heir  of  the  great  house  of  Rossmore  was  caught  up  in 
a  whirlwind  of  fiery  glory,  and  disappeared  forever 
from  the  vision  of  men." 

The  thing  was  so  fine  and  generous  and  knightly 
that  it  brought  the  moisture  to  his  eyes.  Presently  he 
said  to  himself:  "What  to  do  is  as  plain  as  day,  now.  My 
Lord  Berkeley  is  dead — let  him  stay  so.  Died  credit 
ably,  too;  that  will  make  the  calamity  the  easier  for  my 
father.  And  I  don't  have  to  report  to  the  American 
Claimant,  now.  Yes,  nothing  could  be  better  than  the 
way  matters  have  turned  out.  I  have  only  to  furnish 
myself  with  a  new  name,  and  take  my  new  start  in  life 
totally  untrammeled.  Now  I  breathe  my  first  breath 
of  real  freedom;  and  how  fresh  and  breezy  and  inspir 
ing  it  is  !  At  last  I  am  a  man  !  a  man  on  equal  terms 
with  my  neighbor;  and  by  my  manhood,  and  by  it 
alone,  I  shall  rise  and  be  seen  of  the  world,  or  I  shall 
sink  from  sight  and  deserve  it.  This  is  the  gladdest 
day,  and  the  proudest,  that  ever  poured  it's  sun  upon 
my  head  !  " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"  GOD  bless  my  soul,  Hawkins  !  " 

The  morning  paper  dropped  from  the  Colonel's 
nerveless  grasp. 

44  What  is  it?" 

44  He's  gone  ! — the  bright,  the  young,  the  gifted,  the 
noblest  of  his  illustrious  race — gone  !  gone  up  in  flames 
and  unimaginable  glory  !  " 

"  Who  ?  " 

44  My  precious,  precious  young  kinsman — Kirkcud 
bright  Llanover  Marjoribanks  Sellers  Viscount  Berke 
ley,  son  and  heir  of  usurping  Rossmore." 

"No  !" 

44  It's  true — too  true." 

"When?" 

44  Last  night." 

"Where?" 

44  Right  here  in  Washington,  where  he  arrived  from 
England  last  night,  the  papers  say." 

44  You  don't  say  !  " 

44  Hotel  burned  down." 

"What  hotel  ?" 

"  The  New  Gadsby  !  " 

ilOh,  my  goodness!  And  have  we  lost  both  of 
them  ?  " 

"  Both  who?" 

"  One-Arm  Pete." 

77 


78  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"Oh,  great  guns,  I  forgot  all  about  him.  Oh,  I 
hope  not." 

"  Hope  !  Well,  I  should  say  !  Oh,  we  cant  spare 
him!  We  can  better  afford  to  lose  a  million  viscounts 
than  our  only  support  and  stay." 

They  searched  the  paper  diligently,  and  were  ap 
palled  to  find  that  a  one-armed  man  had  been  seen 
flying  along  one  of  the  halls  of  the  hotel  in  his  under 
clothing  and  apparently  out  of  his  head  with  fright, 
and  as  he  would  listen  to  no  one  and  persisted  in 
making  for  a  stairway  which  would  carry  him  to  cer 
tain  death,  his  case  was  given  over  as  a  hopeless  one. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  sighed  Hawkins;  "  and  he  had 
friends  so  near.  I  wish  we  hadn't  come  away  from 
there — maybe  we  could  have  saved  him." 

The  earl  looked  up  and  said  calmly — 

"  His  being  dead  doesn't  matter.  He  was- uncertain 
before.  WeVe  got  him  sure,  this  time." 

"Got  him?     How?" 

"  I  will  materialize  him." 

"  Rossmore,  don't — don't  trifle  with  me.  Do  you 
mean  that  ?  Can  you  do  it  ?  " 

"lean  do  it,  just  assure  as  you  are  sitting  there. 
And  I  will." 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  and  let  me  have  the  comfort 
of  shaking  it.  I  was  perishing,  and  you  have  put  new 
life  into  me.  Get  at  it,  oh,  get  at  it  right  away." 

"  It  will  take  a  little  time,  Hawkins,  but  there's  no 
hurry,  none  in  the  world — in  the  circumstances.  And 
of  course  certain  duties  have  devolved  upon  me  now, 
which  necessarily  claim  my  first  attention.  This  poor 
young  nobleman — 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  79 

"  Why,  yes,  I  am  sorry  for  my  heartlessness,  and 
you  smitten  with  this  new  family  affliction.  Of  course 
you  must  materialize  him  first — I  quite  understand  that." 

"  I — I — well,  I  wasn't  meaning  just  that,  but, — why, 
what  am  I  thinking  of!  Of  course  I  must  materialize 
him.  Oh,  Hawkins,  selfishness  is  the  bottom  trait  in 
human  nature;  I  was  only  thinking  that  now,  with  the 
usurper's  heir  out  of  the  way—  But  you'll  forgive 
that  momentary  weakness,  and  forget  it.  Don't  ever 
remember  it  against  me  that  Mulberry  Sellers  was  once 
mean  enough  to  think  the  thought  that  I  was  thinking. 
I'll  materialize  him — I  will,  on  my  honor — and  I'd  do 
it  were  he  a  thousand  heirs  jammed  into  one  and 
stretching  in  a  solid  rank  from  here  to  the  stolen  es 
tates  of  Rossmore,  and  barring  the  road  forever  to  the 
rightful  earl ! 

"  There  spoke  the  real  Sellers — the  other  had  a  false 
ring,  old  friend." 

"Hawkins,  my  boy,  it  just  occurs  to  me — a  thing  I 
keep  forgetting  to  mention — a  matter  that  we've  got 
to  be  mighty  careful  about." 

"  What  is  that  ?" 

"  We  must  keep  absolutely  still  about  these  material 
izations.  Mind,  not  a  hint  of  them  must  escape — not  a 
hint.  To  say  nothing  of  how  my  wife  and  daughter — 
high-strung,  sensitive  organizations — might  feel  about 
them,  the  negroes  wouldn't  stay  on  the  place  a  minute." 

"That's  true,  they  wouldn't.  It's  well  you  spoke, 
for  I'm  not  naturally  discreet  with  my  tongue  when  I'm 
not  warned." 

Sellers  reached  out  and  touched  a  bell-button  in  the 
wall;  set  his  eye  upon  the  rear  door  and  waited; 


8O  THE- AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

touched  it  again  and  waited;  and  just  as  Hawkins  was 
remarking  admiringly  that  the  Colonel  was  the  most 
progressive  and  most  alert  man  he  had  ever  seen,  in 
the  matter  of  impressing  into  his  service  every  modern 
convenience  the  moment  it  was  invented,  and  always 
keeping  breast  to  breast  with  the  drum  major  in  the 
great  work  of  material  civilization,  he  forsook  the  but 
ton  (which  hadn't  any  wire  attached  to  it,)  rang  a  vast 
dinner  bell  which  stood  on  the  table,  and  remarked 
that  he  had  tried  that  new-fangled  dry  battery,  now,  to 
his  entire  satisfaction,  and  had  got  enough  of  it;  and 
added — 

"  Nothing  would  do  Graham  Bell  but  I  must  try  it; 
said  the  mere/^^/  of  my  trying  it  would  secure  public 
confidence,  and  get  it  a  chance  to  show  what  it  could 
do.  I  told  him  that  in  theory  a  dry  battery  was  just 
a  curled  darling  and  no  mistake,  but  when  it  come  to 
practice,  sho  ! — and  here's  the  result.  Was  I  right  ? 
What  should  you  say,  Washington  Hawkins  ?  You've 
seen  me  try  that  button  twice.  Was  I  right  ? — that's 
the  idea.  Did  I  know  what  I  was  talking  about,  or 
didn't  I  ? " 

"  Well,  you  know  how  I  feel  about  you,  Colonel 
Sellers,  and  always  have  felt.  It  seems  to  me  that  you 
always  know  everything  about  everything.  If  that  man 
had  known  you  as  I  know  you  he  would  have  taken 
your  judgment  at  the  start,  and  dropped  his  dry  bat 
tery  where  it  was." 

"  Did  you  ring,  Marse  Sellers  ?" 

"  No,  Marse  Sellers  didn't." 

"  Den  it  was  you,  Marse  Washington.  I'sheah,  suh." 

"No,  it  wasn't  Marse  Washingtpn,  either." 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  8  I 

"  De  good  Ian'  !   who  did  ring  her,  den  ?  " 

"Lord  Rossmore  rang  it  ! 

The  old  negro  flung  up  his  hands  and  exclaimed — 

44  Blame  my  skin  if  I  hain't  gone  en  forgit  dat  name 
agin  !  Come  heah,  Jinny — run  heah,  honey." 

Jinny  arrived. 

44  You  take  dish-yer  order  de  lord  gwine  to  give  you. 
I's  gwine  down  suller  and  study  dat  name  tell  I 
git  it." 

"  I  take  de  order  !  Who's  yo'  nigger  las'  year  ?  De 
bell  rung  for  you'" 

"  Dat  don't  make  no  diffunce.  When  a  bell  ring  for 
anybody,  en  old  marster  tell  me  to — 

"  Clear  out,  and  settle  it  in  the  kitchen  !  " 

The  noise  of  the  quarreling  presently  sank  to  a  mur 
mur  in  the  distance,  and  the  earl  added:  "  That's  a 
trouble  with  old  house  servants  that  were  your  slaves 
once  and  have  been  your  personal  friends  always." 

"  Yes,  and  members  of  the  family." 

44  Members  of  the  family  is  just  what  they  become— 
the  members  of  the  family,  in  fact.  And  sometimes 
master  and  mistress  of  the  household.  These  two  are 
mighty  good  and  loving  and  faithful  and  honest,  but 
hang  it,  they  do  just  about  as  they  please,  they  chip 
into  a  conversation  whenever  they  want  to,  and  the 
plain  fact  is,  they  ought  to  be  killed." 

It  was  a  random  remark,  but  it  gave  him  an  idea — 
however,  nothing  could  happen  without  that  result. 

44  What  I  wanted,  Hawkins,  was  to  send  for  the  lam- 
ily  and  break  the  news  to  them." 

"  O,  never  mind  bothering  with  the  servants,  then. 
I  will  go  and  bring  them  down." 


82  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

While  he  was  gone,  the  earl  worked  his  idea. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  when  I've  got  the  mate 
rializing  down  to  a  certainty,  I  will  get  Hawkins  to 
kill  them,  and  after  that  they  will  be  under  better  con 
trol.  Without  doubt  a  materialized  negro  could  easily 
be  hypnotized  into  a  state  resembling  silence.  And 
this  could  be  made  permanent — yes,  and  also  modifi 
able,  at  will — sometimes  very  silent,  sometimes  turn  on 
more  talk,  more  action,  more  emotion,  according  to 
what  you  want.  It's  a  prime  good  idea.  Make  it  ad 
justable — with  a  screw  or  something." 

The  two  ladies  entered,  now,  with  Hawkins,  and  the 
two  negroes  followed,  uninvited,  and  fell  to  brushing 
and  dusting  around,  for  they  perceived  that  there  was 
matter  of  interest  to  the  fore,  and  were  willing  to  find 
out  what  it  was. 

Sellers  broke  the  news  with  stateliness  and  cere 
mony,  first  warning  the  ladies,  with  gentle  art,  that  a 
pang  of  peculiar  sharpness  was  about  to  be  inflicted 
upon  their  hearts — hearts  still  sore  from  a  like  hurt, 
still  lamenting  a  like  loss — then  he  took  the  paper,  and 
with  trembling  lips  and  with  tears  in  his  voice  he  gave 
them  that  heroic  death-picture. 

The  result  was  a  very  genuine  outbreak  of  sorrow 
and  sympathy  from  all  the  hearers.  The  elder  lady 
cried,  thinking  how  proud  that  great-hearted  young 
hero's  mother  would  be,  if  she  were  living,  and  how 
unappeasable  her  grief;  and  the  two  old  servants  cried 
with  her,  and  spoke  out  their  applauses  and  their  pity 
ing  lamentations  with  the  eloquent  sincerity  and  sim 
plicity  native  to  their  race.  Gwendolen  was  touched, 
and  the  romantic  side  of  her  nature  was  strongly 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  83 

wrought  upon.  She  said  that  such  a  nature  as  that 
young  man's  was  rarely  and  truly  noble,  and  nearly 
perfect;  and  that  with  nobility  of  birth  added  it  was 
entirely  perfect.  For  such  a  man  she  could  endure  all 
things,  suffer  all  things,  even  to  the  sacrificing  of  her 
life.  She  wished  she  could  have  seen  him;  the  slight 
est,  the  most  momentary,  contact  with  such  a  spirit 
would  have  ennobled  her  own  character  and  made  igno 
ble  thoughts  and  ignoble  acts  thereafter  impossible  to 
her  forever. 

"  Have  they  found  the  body,  Rossmore  ?  "  asked  the 
wife. 

"Yes,  that  is,  they've  found  several.  It  must  be 
one  of  them,  but  none  of  them  are  recognizable." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  down  there  and  identify  one  of  them 
and  send  it  home  to  the  stricken  father." 

"  But  papa,  did  you  ever  see  the  young  man  ? " 

"  No,  Gwendolen — why  ?  " 

"  How  will  you  identify  it  ?  " 

"  I — well,  you  know  it  says  none  of  them  are  recog 
nizable.  I'll  send  his  father  one  of  them — there's  prob 
ably  no  choice." 

Gwendolen  knew  it  was  not  worth  while  to  argue  the 
matter  further,  since  her  father's  mind  was  made  up  and 
there  was  a  chance  for  him  to  appear  upon  that  sad 
scene  down  yonder  in  an  authentic  and  official  way. 
So  she  said  no  more — till  he  asked  for  a  basket. 

4<  A  basket,  papa  ?     What  for  ?  " 

"  It  might  be  ashes." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  earl  and  Washington  started  on  the  sorrowful 
errand,  talking  as  they  walked. 

"  And  as  usual !  " 

•'What,  Colonel?" 

"Seven  of  them  in  that  hotel.  Actresses.  And  all 
burnt  out,  of  course." 

"  Any  of  them  burnt  up  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  they  escaped;  they  always  do;  but  there's 
never  a  one  of  them  that  knows  enough  to  fetch  out 
her  jewelry  with  her." 

"  That's  strange." 

"  Strange — it's  the  most  unaccountable  thing  in  the 
world.  Experience  teaches  them  nothing;  they  can't 
seem  to  learn  anything  except  out  of  a  book.  In  some 
cases  there's  manifestly  a  fatality  about  it.  For  instance, 
take  What's-her-name,  that  plays  those  sensational 
thunder  and  lightning  parts.  She's  got  a  perfectly  im 
mense  reputation — draws  like  a  dog-fight — and  it  all 
came  from  getting  burnt  out  in  hotels." 

"  Why,  how  could  that  give  her  a  reputation  as  an 
actress  ?  " 

"  It  didn't — it  only  made  her  name  familiar.  People 
want  to  see  her  play  because  her  name  is  familiar,  but 
they  don't  know  what  made  it  familiar,  because  they 
don't  remember.  First,  she  was  at  the  bottom  of  the 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  85 

ladder,  and  absolutely  obscure — wages  thirteen  dollars 
a  week  and  find  her  own  pads." 

"Pads?" 

"  Yes — things  to  fat  up  her  spindles  with  so  as  to  be 
plump  and  attractive.  Well,  she  got  burnt  out  in  a 
hotel  and  lost  $30,000  worth  of  diamonds — 

"  She  ?     Where'd  she  get  them  ?  " 

"Goodness  knows  —  given  to  her,  no  doubt,  by 
spoony  young  flats  and  sappy  old  bald-heads  in  the 
front  row.  All  the  papers  were  full  of  it.  She  struck 
for  higher  pay  and  got  it.  Well,  she  got  burnt  out 
again  and  lost  all  her  diamonds,  and  it  gave  her  such 
a  lift  that  she  went  starring." 

"  Well,  if  hotel  fires  are  all  she's  got  to  depend  onto 
keep  up  her  name,  it's  a  pretty  precarious  kind  of  a 
reputation  I  should  think." 

"Not  with  her.  No,  anything  but  that.  Because  she's 
so  lucky;  born  lucky,  I  reckon.  Every  time  there's  a 
hotel  fire  she's  in  it.  She's  always  there — and  if  she 
can't  be  there  herself,  her  diamonds  are.  Now  you  can't 
make  anything  out  of  that  but  just  sheer  luck." 

"  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing.  She  must  have  lost 
quarts  of  diamonds." 

"  Quarts,  she's  lost  bushels  of  them.  It's  got  so  that 
the  hotels  are  superstitious  about  her.  They  won't  let 
her  in.  They  think  there  will  be  a  fire;  and  besides, 
if  she's  there  it  cancels  the  insurance.  She's  been 
waning  a  little  lately,  but  this  fire  will  set  her  up.  She 
lost  $60,000  worth  last  night." 

II  I  think  she's  a  fool.     If  I  had  $60,000  worth  of  dia 
monds  I  wouldn't  trust  them  in  a  hotel." 

II 1  wouldn't  either;  but  you   can't  teach  an  actress 


86  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

that.  This  one's  been  burnt  out  thirty-five  times.  And 
yet  if  there's  a  hotel  fire  in  San  Francisco  to-night  she's 
got  to  bleed  again,  you  mark  my  words.  Perfect  ass; 
they  say  she's  got  diamonds  in  every  hotel  in  the  coun 
try." 

When  they  arrived  at  the  scene  of  the  fire  the  poor 
old  earl  took  one  glimpse  at  the  melancholy  morgue 
and  turned  away  his  face  overcome  by  the  spectacle. 
He  said: 

"  It  is  too  true,  Hawkins — recognition  is  impossible, 
not  one  of  the  five  could  be  identified  by  its  nearest 
friend.  You  make  the  selection,  I  can't  bear  it." 

"  Which  one  had  I  better  — ' 

"  Oh,  take  any  of  them.     Pick  out  the  best  one." 

However,  the  officers  assured  the  earl — for  they  knew 
him,  everybody  in  Washington  knew  him — that  the  po 
sition  in  which  these  bodies  were  found  made  it  impos 
sible  that  any  one  of  them  could  be  that  of  his  noble 
young  kinsman.  They  pointed  out  the  spot  where,  if 
the  newspaper  account  was  correct,  he  must  have  sunk 
down  to  destruction;  and  at  a  wide  distance  from  this 
spot  they  showed  him  where  the  young  man  must  have 
gone  down  in  case  he  was  suffocated  in  his  room;  and 
they  showed  him  still  a  third  place,  quite  remote,  where 
he  might  possibly  have  found  his  death  if  perchance  he 
tried  to  escape  by  the  side  exit  toward  the  rear.  The 
old  Colonel  brushed  away  a  tear  and  said  to  Hawkins — 

"  As  it  turns  out  there  was  something  prophetic  in 
my  fears.  Yes,  it's  a  matter  of  ashes.  Will  you  kindly 
step  to  a  grocery  and  fetch  a  couple  more  baskets  ? " 

Reverently  they  got  a  basket  of  ashes  from  each  of 
those  now  hallowed  spots,  and  carried  them  home  to 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  8? 

consult  as  to  the  best  manner  of  forwarding  them  to 
England,  and  also  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  "  lie 
in  state," — a  mark  of  respect  which  the  colonel  deem 
ed  obligatory,  considering  the  high  rank  of  the  de 
ceased. 

They  set  the  baskets  on  the  table  in  what  was  for 
merly  the  library,  drawingroom  and  workshop — -now 
the  Hall  of  Audience — and  went  up  stairs  to  the  lum 
ber  room  to  see  if  they  could  find  a  British  flag  to  use 
as  a  part  of  the  outfit  proper  to  the  lying  in  state.  A 
moment  later,  Lady  Rossmore  came  in  from  the  street 
and  caught  sight  of  the  baskets  just  as  old  Jinny  cross 
ed  her  field  of  vision.  She  quite  lost  her  patience  and 
said— 

"  Well,  what  will  you  do  next  ?  What  in  the  world 
possessed  you  to  clutter  up  the  parlor  table  with  these 
baskets  of  ashes  ?  " 

"  Ashes  ?  "  And  she  came  to  look.  She  put  up  her 
hands  in  pathetic  astonishment.  "  Well,  I  never  see 
de  like  !  " 

"  Didn't  you  do  it?  " 

"  Who,  me  ?  Clah  to  goodness  it's  de  fust  time  I've 
sot  eyes  on  'em,  Miss  Polly.  Dat's  Dan'l.  Dat  ole 
moke  is  losin'  his  mine." 

But  it  wasn't  Dan'l,  for  he  was  called,  and  denied  it. 

"  Dey  ain't  no  way  to  'splain  dat.  Wen  hit's  one  er 
dese-yer  common  'currences,  a  body  kin  reckon  maybe 
de  cat —  " 

"  Oli  !  "  and  a  shudder  shook  Lady  Rossmore  to  her 
foundations.  "  I  see  it  all.  Keep  away  from  them — 
they're  his." 

is>  m'  lady  ?" 


88 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


'  Yes  —  your  young  Marse  Sellers  from  England  that's 
burnt  up." 

She  was  alone  with  the  ashes  —  alone  before  she  could 
take  half  a  breath.  Then  she  went  after  Mulberry  Sel 
lers,  purposing  to  make  short  work  with  his  program, 
whatever  it  might  be;  "  for,"  said  she,  "  when  his  sen- 
timcntals  are  up,  he's  a  numskull,  and  there's  no  know 
ing  what  extravagance  he'll  contrive,  if  you  let  him 
alone."  She  found  him.  He  had  found  the  flag  and 

was  bringing  it. 
When  she  heard  that 
his  idea  was  to  have 
the  remains  "  lie  in 
state,  and  invite  the 
government  and  the 
public,"  she  broke  it 
up.  She  said  — 

"  Your   intentions 
are     all     right  —  they 
always  are—  you  want 
to  do   honour  to  the 
remains,   and    surely 
nobody  can  find  any 
fault  with  that,  for  he 
your    kin  ;     but 
are    going    the 
see    it   yourself 


"  CLAH  TO  GOODNESS  IT'S   DE    FUST   TIME 
I'VE   SOT    EYES    ON    'EM." 


was 
you 


and 


you 


wrong  way  about  it, 
if  you  stop  and  think.  You  can't  file  around  a  basket 
of  ashes  trying  to  look  sorry  for  it  and  make  a  sight 
that  is  really  solemn,  because  the  solemner  it  is, 
the  more  it  isn't — anybody  can  see  that.  It  would 
be  so  with  one  basket;  it  would  be  three  times  so 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  89 

with  three.  Well,  it  stands  to  reason  that  if  it 
wouldn't  be  solemn  with  one  mourner,  it  wouldn't  be 
with  a  procession — and  there  would  t>e  five  thousand 
people  here.  I  don't  know  but  it  would  be  pretty  near 
ridiculous;  I  think  it  would.  No,  Mulberry,  they  can't 
lie  in  state — it  would  be  a  mistake.  Give  that  up  and 
think  of  something  else." 

So  he  gave  it  up;  and  not  reluctantly,  when  he  had 
thought  it  over  and  realized  how  right  her  instinct  was. 
He  concluded  to  merely  sit  up  with  the  remains — just 
himself  and  Hawkins.  Even  this  seemed  a  doubtful 
attention,  to  his  wife,  but  she  offered  no  objection,  for 
it  was  plain  that  he  had  a  quite  honest  and  simple- 
hearted  desire  to  do  the  friendly  and  honourable  thing 
by  these  forlorn  poor  relics  which  could  command  no 
hospitality  in  this  far  off  land  of  strangers  but  his.  He 
draped  the  flag  about  the  baskets,  put  some  crape  on 
the  door-knob,  and  said  with  satisfaction— 

"  There— he  is  as  comfortable,  now,  as  we  can  make 
him  in  the  circumstances.  Except  —  yes,  we  must 
strain  a  point  there — one  must  do  as  one  would  wish 
to  be  done  by — he  must  have  it." 

"  Have  what,  dear  ?  " 

"  Hatchment." 

The  wife  felt  that  the  house-front  was  standing  about 
all  it  could  well  stand,  in  that  way;  the  prospect  of 
another  stunning  decoration  of  that  nature  distressed 
her,  and  she  wished  the  thing  had  not  occurred  to  him. 
She  said,  hesitatingly — 

"  But  I  thought  such  an  honour  as  that  wasn't  allow 
ed  to  any  but  very  very  near  relations,  who— 

"  Right,  you  are  quite  right,  my  lady,  perfectly  right; 


C)O  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

but  there  aren't  any  nearer  relatives  than  relatives  by 
usurpation.  We  cannot  avoid  it;  we  are  slaves  of  aris 
tocratic  custom  and  must  submit." 

The  hatchments  were  unnecessarily  generous,  each 
being  as  large  as  a  blanket,  and  they  were  unnecessa 
rily  volcanic,  too,  as  to  variety  and  violence  of  color, 
but  they  pleased  the  earl's  barbaric  eye,  and  they  sat 
isfied  his  taste  for  symmetry  and  completeness,  too,  for 
they  left  no  waste  room  to  speak  of  on  the  house-front. 

Lady  Rossmore  and  her  daughter  assisted  at  the  sit- 
ting-up  till  near  midnight,  and  helped  the  gentlemen 
to  consider  what  ought  to  be  done  next  with  the  re 
mains.  Rossmore  thought  they  ought  to  be  sent  home 
—with  a  committee  and  resolutions, — at  once.  But  the 
wife  was  doubtful.  She  said: 

"  Would  you  send  all  of  the  baskets  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  all." 

"All  at  once  ?  " 

"  To  his  father  ?  Oh,  no — by  no  means.  Think  of 
the  shock.  No — one  at  a  time;  break  it  to  him  by  de 
grees." 

"  Would  that  have  that  effect,  father  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  daughter.  Remember,  you  are  young  and 
elastic,  but  he  is  old.  To  send  him  the  whole  at  once 
might  well  be  more  than  he  could  bear.  But  mitigated 
—one  basket  at  a  time,  with  restful  intervals  between, 
he  would  be  used  to  it  by  the  time  he  got  all  of  him. 
And  sending  him  in  three  ships  is  safer  anyway.  On 
account  of  wrecks  and  storms." 

"  I  don't  like  the  idea,  father.  If  I  were  his  father  it 
would  be  dreadful  to  have  him  coming  in  that — in 
that —  " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  9! 

"  On  the  installment  plan,"  suggested  Hawkins, 
gravely,  and  proud  of  being  able  to  help. 

"Yes — dreadful  to  have  him  coming  in  that  inco 
herent  way.  There  would  be  the  strain  of  suspense 
upon  me  all  the  time.  To  have  so  depressing  a  thing 
as  a  funeral  impending,  delayed,  waiting,  unaccom 
plished — 

"  Oh,  no,  my  child,"  said  the  earl  reassuringly,  "  there 
would  be  nothing  of  that  kind;  so  old  a  gentleman 
could  not  endure  a  long-drawn  suspense  like  that. 
There  will  be  three  funerals." 

Lady  Rossmore  looked  up  surprised,  and  said — 

"How  is  that  going  to  make  it  easier  for  him?  It's 
a  total  mistake,  to  my  mind.  He  ought'  to  be  buried 
all  at  once;  I'm  sure  of  it." 

"I  should  think  so,  too,"  said  Hawkins. 

"And  certainly  /should,"  said  the  daughter. 

"You  are  all  wrong,"  said  the  earl.  "You  will  see 
it  yourselves,  if  you  think.  Only  one  of  these  baskets 
has  got  him  in  it." 

"Very  well,  then,"  said  Lady  Rossmore,  "the  thing 
is  perfectly  simple — bury  that  one." 

"Certainly,"  said  Lady  Gwendolen. 

"But  it  is  not  simple,"  said  the  earl,  "because  we  do 
not  know  which  basket  he  is  in.  We  know  he  is  in  one 
of  them,  but  that  is  all  we  do  know.  You  see  now,  I 
reckon,  that  I  was  right;  it  takes  three  funerals,  there 
is  no  other  way." 

"And  three  graves  and  three  monuments  and  three 
inscriptions?"  asked  the  daughter. 

"Well — yes — to  do  it  right.  That  is  what  I  should 
do." 


92  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"It  could  not  be  done  so,  father.  Each  of  the  in 
scriptions  would  give  the  same  name  and  the  same  facts 
and  say  he  was  under  each  and  all  of  these  monuments, 
and  that  would  not  answer  at  all." 

The  earl  nestled  uncomfortably  in  his  chair. 

"No,"  he  said,  "that  is  an  objection.  That  is  a  seri 
ous  objection.  I  see  no  way  out." 

There  was  a  general  silence  for  a  while.  Then  Haw 
kins  said— 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  if  we  mixed  the  three  ramifica 
tions  together — 

The  earl  grasped  him  by  the  hand  and  shook  it 
gratefully. 

"It  solves  the  whole  problem,"  he  said.  "One  ship, 
one  funeral,  one  grave,  one  monument — it  is  admirably 
conceived.  It  does  you  honor,  Major  Hawkins,  it  has 
relieved  me  of  a  most  painful  embarrassment  and  dis 
tress,  and  it  will  save  that  poor  stricken  old  father  much 
suffering.  Yes,  he  shall  go  over  in  one  basket." 

"When?"  asked  the  wife. 

"  To-morrow — immediately,  of  course." 

"I  would  wait,  Mulberry." 

"Wait?     Why?" 

"  You  don't  want  to  break  that  childless  old  man's 
heart." 

"God  knows  I  don't!" 

"Then  wait  till  he  sends  for  his  son's  remains.  If 
you  do  that,  you  will  never  have  to  give  him  the  last 
and  sharpest  pain  a  parent  can  know — I  mean,  the  cer 
tainty  that  his  son  is  dead.  For  he  will  never  send." 

"Why  won't  he?" 

"  Because  to  send — and  find  out  the  truth — would  rob 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  93 

him  of  the  one  precious  thing  left  him,  the  uncertainty, 
the  dim  hope  that  maybe,  after  all,  his  boy  escaped, 
and  he  will  see  him  again  some  clay." 

"Why  Polly,  he'll  know  by  the  papers  that  he  was 
burnt  up." 

"He  won't  let  himself  believe  the  papers;  he'll  argue 
against  anything  and  everything  that  proves  his  son  is 
dead;  and  he  will  keep  that  up  and  live  on  it,  and  on 
nothing  else  till  he  dies.  But  if  the  remains  should 
actually  come,  and  be  put  before  that  poor  old  dim- 
hoping  soul— 

"Oh,  my  God,  they  never  shall !  Polly,  you've  saved 
me  from  a  crime,  and  I'll  bless  you  for  it  always.  Now 
we  know  what  to  do.  We'll  place  them  reverently 
away,  and  he  shall  never  know." 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  young  Lord  Berkeley,  with  the  fresh  air  of  free 
dom  in  his  nostrils,  was  feeling  invincibly  strong  for  his 
new  career;  and  yet — and  yet — if  the  fight  should  prove 
a  very  hard  one  at  first,  very  discouraging,  very  taxing 
on  untoughened  moral  sinews,  he  might  in  some  weak 
moment  want  to  retreat.  Not  likely,  of  course,  but 
possibly  that  might  happen.  And  so  on  the  whole  it 
might  be  pardonable  caution  to  burn  his  bridges  behind 
him.  Oh,  without  doubt.  He  must  not  stop  with  ad 
vertising  for  the  owner  of  that  money,  but  must  put  it 
where  he  could  not  borrow  from  it  himself,  meantime, 
under  stress  of  circumstances.  So  he  went  down  town, 
and  put  in  his  advertisement,  then  went  to  a  bank  and 
handed  in  the  $500  for  deposit. 

"What  name  ?" 

He  hesitated  and  colored  a  little;  he  had  forgotten 
to  make  a  selection.  He  now  brought  out  the  first  one 
that  suggested  itself — 

"  Howard  Tracy." 

When  he  was  gone  the  clerks,  marveling,  said — 

"The  cowboy  blushed." 

The  first  step  was  accomplished.  The  money  was 
still  under  his  command  and  at  his  disposal,  but  the 
next  step  would  dispose  of  that  difficulty.  He  went  to 
another  bank  and  drew  upon  the  first  bank  for  the  $500 
by  check.  The  money  was  collected  and  deposited  a 

94 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


95 


second  time  to  the  credit  of  Howard  Tracy.  He  was 
asked  to  leave  a  few  samples  of  his  signature,  which  he 
did.  Then  he  went  away,  once  more  proud  and  of  per 
fect  courage,  saying — 

"No  help  for  me  now,  for  henceforth  I  couldn't  draw 
that  money  without  identification,  and  that  is  become 
legally  impossible. 
No  resources  to  fall 
back  on.  It  is  work 
or  starve  from  now 
to  the  end.  I  am 
ready  —  and  not 
afraid  ! " 

Then  he  sent  this 
cablegram  to  his 
father : 

"  Escaped  unhurt  from 
burning  hotel.  Have 
taken  fictitious  name. 
Goodbye." 

During   the    even 
ing,    while    he     was 
wandering    about    in 
one  of  the    outlying 
districts  of  the  city, 
he    came    across    a 
small    brick    church,    with 
these    words     printed     on 
DEBATE 


PARKER,  ASSISTANT    EDITOR    OF    THE 
DEMOCRAT. 


a  bill  posted  there  with 
it:  "MECHANICS'  CLUB 
ALL  INVITED."  He  saw  people,  apparently 
mainly  of  the  working  class,  entering  the  place,  and  he 
followed  and  took  his  seat.  It  was  a  humble  little 


96  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT, 

church,  quite  bare  as  to  ornamentation.  It  had  painted 
pews  without  cushions,  and  no  pulpit,  properly  speak 
ing,  but  it  had  a  platform.  On  the  platform  sat  the 
chairman,  and  by  his  side  sat  a  man  who  held  a  manu 
script  in  his  hand  and  had  the  waiting  look  of  one  who 
is  going  to  perform  the  principal  part.  The  church  was 
soon  filled  with  a  quiet  and  orderly  congregation  of 
decently  dressed  and  modest  people.  This  is  what  the 
chairman  said: 

44 The  essayist  for  this  evening  is  an  old  member  of 
our  club  whom  you  all  know,  Mr.  Parker,  assistant 
editor  of  the  Daily  Democrat.  The  subject  of  his  essay 
is  the  American  Press,  and  he  will  use  as  his  text  a 
couple  of  paragraphs  taken  from  Mr.  Matthew  Arnold's 
new  book.  He  asks  me  to  read  these  texts  for  him. 
The  first  is  as  follows: 

"  '  Goethe  says  somewhere  that  "  the  thrill  of  awe,"  that  is  to 
say,  REVERENCE,'  is  the  best  thing  humanity  has." 

"  Mr.  Arnold's  other  paragraph  is  as  follows: 

"  '  I  should  say  that  if  one  were  searching  for  the  best  means  to 
efface  and  kill  in  a  whole  nation  the  discipline  of  respect,  one 
could  not  do  better  than  take  the  American  newspapers." 

Mr.  Parker  rose  and  bowed,  and  was  received  with 
warm  applause.  He  then  began  to  read  in  a  good 
round  resonant  voice,  with  clear  enunciation  and  care 
ful  attention  to  his  pauses  and  emphases.  His  points 
were  received  with  approval  as  he  went  on. 

The  essayist  took  the  position  that  the  most  impor 
tant  function  of  a  public  journal  in  any  country  was 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  97 

the  propagating  of  national  feeling  and  pride  in  the 
national  name — the  keeping  the  people  "in  love  with 
their  country  and  its  institutions,  and  shielded  from 
the  allurements  of  alien  and  inimical  systems."  He 
sketched  the  manner  in  which  the  reverent  Turkish  or 
Russian  journalist  fulfilled  this  function — the  one  as 
sisted  by  the  prevalent  "  discipline  of  respect"  for  the 
bastinado,  the  other  for  Siberia.  Continuing,  he  said — 

The  chief  function  of  an  English  journal  is  that  of  all  other 
journals  the  world  over:  it  must  keep  the  public  eye  fixed  ad 
miringly  upon  certain  things,  and  keep'  it  diligently  diverted 
from  certain  others.  For  instance,  it  must  keep  the  public  eye 
fixed  admiringly  upon  the  glories  of  England,  a  processional 
splendor  stretching  its  receding  line  down  the  hazy  vistas  of 
time,  with  the  mellowed  lights  of  a  thousand  years  glinting  from 
its  banners;  and  it  must  keep  it  diligently  diverted  from  the  fact 
that  all  these  glories  were  for  the  enrichment  and  aggrandize 
ment  of  the  petted  and  privileged  few,  at  cost  of  the  blood  and 
sweat  and  poverty  of  the  unconsidered  masses  who  achieved 
them  but  might  not  enter  in  and  partake  of  them.  It  must- keep 
the  public  eye]  fixed  in  loving  and  awful  reverence  upon  the 
throne  as  a  sacred  thing,  and  diligently  divert  it  from  the  fact 
that  no  throne  was  ever  set  up  by  the  unhampered  vote  of  a  ma 
jority  of  any  nation;  and  that  hence  no  throne  exists  that  has  a 
right  to  exist,  and  no  symbol  of  it,  flying  from  any  flagstaff,  is 
righteously  entitled  to  wear  any  device  but  the  skull  and  cross- 
bones  of  that  kindred  industry  which  differs  from  royalty  only 
business-wise — merely  as  retail  differs  from  wholesale.  It  must 
keep  the  citizen's  eye  fixed  in  reverent  docility  upon  that  curi 
ous  invention  of  machine  politics,  an  Established  Church,  and 
upon  that  bald  contradiction  of  common  justice,  a  hereditary 
nobility;  and  diligently  divert  it  from  the  fact  that  the  one 
damns  him  if  he  doesn't  wear  its  collar,  and  robs  him  under  the 
gentle  name  of  taxation  whether  he  wears  it  or  not,  and  the 
other  gets  all  the  honors  while  he  does  all  the  work. 


98  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

The  essayist  thought  that  Mr.  Arnold,  with  his  train  - 
ed  eye  and  intelligent  observation,  ought  to  have  per 
ceived  that  the  very  quality  which  he  so  regretfully 
missed  from  our  press — respectfulness,  reverence — was 
exactly  the  thing  which  would  make  our  press  useless 
to  us  if  it  had  it — rob  it  of  the  very  thing  which  dif 
ferentiates  it  from  all  other  journalism  in  the  world 
and  makes  it  distinctively  and  preciously  American, 
its  frank  and  cheerful  irreverence  being  by  all  odds  the 
most  valuable  of  all  its  qualities.  "  For  its  mission — 
overlooked  by  Mr.  Arnold — is  to  stand  guard  over  a 
nation's  liberties,  not  its  humbugs  and  shams."  He 
thought  that  if  during  fifty  years  the  institutions  of  the 
old  world  could  be  exposed  to  the  fire  of  a  flouting 
and  scoffing  press  like  ours,  "  monarchy  and  its  at 
tendant  crimes  would  disappear  from  Christendom." 
Monarchists  might  doubt  this;  then  "  why  not  per 
suade  the  Czar  to  give  it  a  trial  in  Russia  ? "  Con 
cluding,  he  said — 

Well,  the  charge  is,  that  our  press  has  but  little  of  that  old 
world  quality,  reverence.  Let  us  be  candidly  grateful  that  it  is 
so.  With  its  limited  reverence  it  at  least  reveres  the  things 
which  this  nation  reveres,  as  a  rule,  and  that  is  sufficient:  what 
other  people  revere  is  fairly  and  properly  matter  of  light  impor 
tance  to  us.  Our  press  does  not  reverence  kings,  it  does  not 
reverence  so  called  nobilities,  it  does  not  reverence  established 
ecclesiastical  slaveries,  it  does  not  reverence  laws  which  rob  a 
younger  son  to  fatten  an  elder  one,  it  does  not  reverence  any 
fraud  or  sham  or  infamy,  howsoever  old  or  rotten  or  holy,  which 
sets  one  citizen  above  his  neighbor  by  accident  of  birth:  it  does 
not  reverence  any  law  or  custom,  howsoever  old  or  decayed  or 
sacred,  which  shuts  against  the  best  man  in  the  land  the  best 
place  in  the  land  and  the  divine  right  to  prove  property  and  go 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


99 


up  and  occupy  it.  In  the  sense  of  the  poet  Goethe — that  meek 
idolater  of  provincial  three  carat  royalty  and  nobility — our  press 
is  certainly  bankrupt  in  the  "thrill  of  awe" — otherwise  rever 
ence;  reverence  for  nickel  plate  and  brummagem.  Let  us  sin 
cerely  hope  that  this  fact  will  remain  a  fact  forever:  for  to  my 
mind  a  discriminating  irreverence  is  the  creator  and  protector 
of  human  liberty — even  as  the  other  thing  is  the  creator,  nurse, 
and  steadfast  protector  of  all  forms  of  human  slavery,  bodily  and 
mental. 

Tracy  said  to  himself,  almost  shouted  to  himself, 
"  I'm  glad  I  came  to  this  country.  I  was  right.  I 
was  right  to  seek  out  a  land  where  such  healthy  prin 
ciples  and  theories  are  in  men's  hearts  and  minds. 
Think  of  the  innumerable  slaveries  imposed  by  mis 
placed  reverence  !  How  well  he  brought  that  out, 
and  how  true  it  is.  There's  manifestly  prodigious 
force  in  reverence.  If  you  can  get  a  man  to  rever 
ence  your  ideals,  he's  your  slave.  Oh,  yes,  in  all  the 
ages  the  peoples  of  Europe  have  been  diligently  taught 
to  avoid  reasoning  about  the  shams  of  monarchy  and 
nobility,  been  taught  to  avoid  examining  them,  been 
taught  to  reverence  them;  and  now,  as  a  natural  re 
sult,  to  reverence  them  is  second  nature.  In  order 
to  shock  them  it  is  sufficient  to  inject  a  thought  of 
the  opposite  kind  into  their  dull  minds.  For  ages, 
any  expression  of  so-called  irreverence  from  their  lips 
has  been  sin  and  crime.  The  sham  and  swindle  of 
all  this  is  apparent  the  moment  one  reflects  that  he 
is  himself  the  only  legitimately  qualified  judge  of  what 
is  entitled  to  reverence  and  what  is  not.  Come,  I 
hadn't  thought  of  that  before,  but  it  is  true,  absolutely 
true.  What  right  has  Goethe,  what  right  has  Arnold, 


IOO  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.- 

what  right  has  any  dictionary,  to  define  the  word  Ir 
reverence  for  me  ?  What  their  ideals  are  is  nothing 
to  me.  So  long  as  I  reverence  my  own  ideals  my 
whole  duty  is  done,  and  I  commit  no  profanation  if  I 
laugh  at  theirs.  I  may  scoff  at  other  people's  ideals 
as  much  as  I  want  to.  It  is  my  right  and  rny  privilege. 
No  man  has  any  right  to  deny  it." 

Tracy  was  expecting  to  hear  the  essay  debated,  but 
this  did  not  happen.  The  chairman  said,  by  way  of 
explanation — 

"I  would  say,  for  the  information  of  the  strangers 
present  here,  that  in  accordance  with  our  custom  the 
subject  of  this  meeting  will  be  debated  at  the  next 
meeting  of  the  club.  This  is  in  order  to  enable  our 
members  to  prepare  what  they  may  wish  to  say  upon 
the  subject  with  pen  and  paper,  for  we  are  mainly  me 
chanics  and  unaccustomed  to  speaking.  We  are  obliged 
to  write  down  what  we  desire  to  say." 

Many  brief  papers  were  now  read,  and  several  off 
hand  speeches  made  in  discussion  of  the  essay  read  at 
the  last  meeting  of  the  club,  which  had  been  a  lauda 
tion,  by  some  visiting  professor,  of  college  culture, 
and  the  grand  results  flowing  from  it  to  the  nation.  One 
of  the  papers  was  read  by  a  man  approaching  middle 
age,  who  said  he  hadn't  had  a  college  education,  that 
he  had  got  his  education  in  a  printing  office,  and  had 
graduated  from  there  into  the  patent  office,  where  he 
had  been  a  clerk  now  for  a  great  many  years.  Then 
he  continued  to  this  effect: 

The  essayist  contrasted  the  America  of  to-day  with  the  Amer 
ica  of  bygone  times,  and  certainly  the  result  is  the  exhibition  of 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  IOI 

a  mighty  progress.  But  I  think  he  a  little  overrated  the  col 
lege-culture  share  in  the  production  of  that  result.  It  can  no 
doubt  be  easily  shown  that  the  colleges  have  contributed  the 
intellectual  part  of  this  progress,  and  that  that  part  is  vast;  but 
that  the  material  progress  has  been  immeasurably  vaster,  I  think 
you  will  concede.  Now  I  have  been  looking  over  a  list  of  in 
ventors — the  creators  of  this  amazing  material  development — 
and  I  find  that  they  were  not  college-bred  men.  Of  course  there 
are  exceptions — like  Professor  Henry  of  Princeton,  the  inventor 
of  Mr.  Morse's  system  of  telegraphy — but  these  exceptions  are 
few.  It  is  not  overstatement  to  say  that  the  imagination-stun 
ning  material  development  of  this  century,  the  only  century 
worth  living  in  since  time  itself  was  invented,  is  the  creation  of 
men  not  college-bred.  We  think  we  see  what  these  inventors 
have  done:  no,  we  see  only  the  visible  vast  frontage  of  their 
work;  behind  it  is  their  far  vaster  work,  and  it  is  invisible  to  the 
careless  glance.  They  have  reconstructed  this  nation — made  it 
over,  that  is — and  metaphorically  speaking,  have  multiplied  its 
numbers  almost  beyond  the  power  of  figures  to  express.  I  will 
explain  what  I  mean.  What  constitutes  the  population  of  a 
land  ?  Merely  the  numberable  packages  of  meat  and  bones  in 
it  called  by  courtesy  men  and  women  ?  Shall  a  million  ounces  of 
brass  and  a  million  ounces  of  gold  be  held  to  t^e  of  the  same 
value?  Take  a  truer  standard:  the  measure  of  a  man's  contrib 
uting  capacity  to  his  time  and  his  people — the  work  he  can  do 
— and  then  number  the  population  of  this  country  to-day,  as 
multiplied  by  what  a  man  can  now  do,  more  than  his  grand 
father  could  do.  By  this  standard  of  measurement,  this  nation, 
two  or  three  generations  ago,  consisted  of  mere  cripples,  para 
lytics,  dead  men,  as  compared  with  the  men  of  to-day.  In  1840 
our  population  was  17,000,000.  By  way  of  rude  but  striking  il 
lustration,  let  us  consider,  for  argument's  sake,  that  four  of  these 
millions  consisted  of  aged  people,  little  children,  and  other  in- 
capables,  and  that  the  remaining  13,000,000  were  divided  and 
employed  as  follows: 

2,000,000  as  ginners  of  cotton. 

6,000,000  (women)  as  stocking-knitters. 


IO2  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

2,000,000  (women)  as  thread-spinners. 

500,000  as  screw  makers. 

400, ooo  as  reapers,  binders,  etc. 

1,000,000  as  corn  shelters. 

40,000  as  weavers. 

1,000  as  stitchers  of  shoe  soles. 

Now  the  deductions  which  I  am  going  to  append  to  these  fig 
ures  may  sound  extravagant,  but  they  are  not.  I  take  them  from 
Miscellaneous  Documents  No.  50,  second  session  45th  Congress, 
and  they  are  official  and  trustworthy.  To-day,  the  work  of  those 
2,000,000  cotton  -  ginners  is  done  by  2,000  men;  that  of  the 
6,000,000  stocking-knitters  is  done  by  3,000  boys;  that  of  the 
2,000,000  thread-spinners  is  done  by  1,000  girls;  that  of  the  500,- 
ooo  screw  makers  is  done  by  500  girls;  that  of  the  400,000  reap 
ers,  binders,  etc.,  is  done  by  4,000  boys;  that  of  the  1,000,000 
corn  shellers  is  done  by  7,500  men;  that  of  the  40,000  weavers  is 
done  by  1,200  men;  and  that  of  the  1,000  stitchers  of  shoe  soles 
is  done  by  6  men.  To  bunch  the  figures,  17,000  persons  to-day 
do  the  above  work,  whereas  fifty  years  ago  it  would  have  taken 
thirteen  millions  of  persons  to  do  it.  Now  then,  how  many  of 
that  ignorant  race — our  fathers  and  grandfathers — with  their  ig 
norant  methods,  would  it  take  to  do  our  work  to-day?  It  would 
take  forty  thousand  millions — a  hundred  times  the  swarming 
population  of  China — twenty  times  the  present  population  of 
the  globe.  You  look  around  you  and  you  see  a  nation  of  sixty 
millions — apparently;  but  secreted  in  their  hands  and  brains, 
and  invisible  to  your  eyes,  is  the  true  population  of  this  Repub 
lic,  and  it  numbers  forty  billions  !  It  is  the  stupendous  creation 
of  those  humble  unlettered,  un-college-bred  inventors — all  honor 
to  their  name. 

"How  grand  that  is !"  said  Tracy,  as  he  wended 
homeward.  "What  a  civilization  it  is,  and  what  pro 
digious  results  these  are  !  and  brought  about  almost 
wholly  by  common  men;  not  by  Oxford-trained  aristo 
crats,  but  men  who  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  in  the 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  103 

humble  ranks  of  life  and  earn  the  bread  that  they  eat. 
Again,  I'm  glad  I  came.  I  have  found  a  country  at  last 
where  one  may  start  fair,  and  breast  to  breast  with  his 
fellow  man,  rise  by  his  own  efforts,  and  be  something 
in  the  world  and  be  proud  of  that  something;  not  be 
something  created  by  an  acestor  three  hundred  years 
ago." 


CHAPTER   XL 

DURING  the  first  few  days  he  kept  the  fact  diligently 
before  his  mind  that  he  was  in  a  land  where  there  was 
"work  and  bread  for  all."  In  fact,  for  convenience'  sake 
he  fitted  it  to  a  little  tune  and  hummed  it  to  himself; 
but  as  time  wore  on  the  fact  itself  began  to  take  on  a 
doubtful  look,  and  next  the  tune  got  fatigued  and  pres 
ently  ran  down  and  stopped.  His  first  effort  was  to  get 
an  upper  clerkship  in  one  of  the  departments,  where 
his  Oxford  education  could  come  into  play  and  do  him 
service.  But  he  stood  no  chance  whatever.  There, 
competency  was  no  recommendation;  political  back 
ing,  without  competency,  was  worth  six  of  it.  He  was 
glaringly  English,  and  that  was  necessarily  against 
him  in  the  political  centre  of  a  nation  where  both  par 
ties  prayed  for  the  Irish  cause  on  the  house-top  and 
blasphemed  it  in  the  cellar.  By  his  dress  he  was  a  cow 
boy;  that  won  him  respect — when  his  back  was  not 
turned — but  it  couldn't  get  a  clerkship  for  him.  But  he 
had  said,  in  a  rash  moment,  that  he  would  wear  those 
clothes  till  the  owner  or  the  owner's  friends  caught 
sight  of  them  and  asked  for  that  money,  and  his  con 
science  would  not  let  him  retire  from  that  engagement 
now. 

At  the  end  of  a  week  things  were  beginning  to  wear 
rather  a  startling  look.  He  had  hunted  everywhere  for 

work,  descending  gradually  the  scale  of  quality,  until 

104 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  1 05 

apparently  he  had  sued  for  all  the  various  kinds  of 
work  a  man  without  a  special  calling  might  hope  to  be 
able  to  do,  except  ditching  and  the  other  coarse  manual 
sorts — and  had  got  neither  work  nor  the  promise  of  it. 
He  was  mechanically  turning  over  the  leaves  of  his 
diary,  meanwhile,  and  now  his  eye  fell  upon  the  first 
record  made  after  he  was  burnt  out: 

"I  myself  did  not  doubt  my  stamina  before,  nobody  could 
doubt  it  now,  if  they  could  see  how  I  am  housed,  and  realize 
that  I  feel  absolutely  no  disgust  with  these  quarters,  but  am  as 
serenely  content  with  them  as  any  dog  would  be  in  a  similar 
kennel.  Terms,  twenty-five  dollars  a  week.  I  said  I  would  start 
at  the  bottom.  I  have  kept  my  word." 

A  shudder  went  quaking  through  him,  and  he  ex 
claimed — 

"  What  have  I  been  thinking  of  !  This  the  bottom  ! 
Mooning  along  a  whole  week,  and  these  terrific  ex 
penses  climbing  and  climbing  all  the  time  !  I  must  end 
this  folly  straightway." 

He  settled  up  at  once  and  went  forth  to  find  less 
sumptuous  lodgings.  He  had  to  wander  far  and  seek 
with  diligence,  but  he  succeeded.  They  made  him  pay 
in  advance — four  dollars  and  a  half;  this  secured  both 
bed  and  food  for  a  week.  The  good-natured,  hard- 
worked  landlady  took  him  up  three  flights  of  narrow, 
uncarpeted  stairs  and  delivered  him  into  his  room. 
There  were  two  double-bedsteads  in  it,  and  one  single 
one.  He  would  be  allowed  to  sleep  alone  in  one  of  the 
double  beds  until  some  new  boarder  should  come,  but 
he  wouldn't  be  charged  extra. 

So  he  would  presently  be  required  to  sleep  with  some 


IO6  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

stranger !  The  thought  of  it  made  him  sick.  Mrs. 
Marsh,  the  landlady,  was  very  friendly  and  hoped  he 
would  like  her  house — they  all  liked  it,  she  said. 

"And  they're  a  very  nice  set  of  boys.  They  carry 
on  a  good  deal,  but  that's  their  fun.  You  see,  this  room 
opens  right  into  this  back  one,  and  sometimes  they're 
all  in  one  and  sometimes  in  the  other;  and  hot  nights 
they  all  sleep  on  the  roof  when  it  don't  rain.  They  get 
out  there  the  minute  it's  hot  enough.  The  season's  so 
early  that  they've  already  had  a  night  or  two  up  there. 
If  you'd  like  to  go  up  and  pick  out  a  place,  you  can. 
You'll  find  chalk  in  the  side  of  the  chimney  where 
there's  a  brick  wanting.  You  just  take  the  chalk  and — 
but  of  course  you've  done  it  before." 

"Oh,  no,  I  haven't." 

"Why,  of  course  you  haven't — what  am  I  thinking 
of?  Plenty  of  room  on  the  Plains  without  chalking,  I'll 
be  bound.  Well,  you  just  chalk  out  a  place  the  size  of 
a  blanket  anywhere  on  the  tin  that  ain't  already  marked 
off,  you  know,  and  that's  your  property.  You  and  your 
bed-mate  take  turn-about  carrying  up  the  blanket  and 
pillows  and  fetching  them  down  again;  or  one  carries 
them  up  and  the  other  fetches  them  down,  you  fix  it 
the  way  you  like,  you  know.  You'll  like  the  boys, 
they're  everlasting  sociable — except  the  printer.  He's 
the  one  that  sleeps  in  that  single  bed — the  strangest 
creature;  why,  I  don't  believe  you  could  get  that  man 
to  sleep  with  another  man,  not  if  the  house  was  afire. 
Mind  you,  I'm  not  just  talking,  I  know.  The  boys  tried 
him,  to  see.  They  took  his  bed  out  one  night,  and  so 
when  he  got  home  about  three  in  the  morning — he  was 
on  a  morning  paper  then,  but  he's  on  an  evening  one 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

now — there  wasn't  any  place  for  him  but  with  the  iron- 
moulder;  and  if  you'll  believe  me,  he  just  set  up  the  rest 
of  the  night — he  did,  honest.  They  say  he's  cracked, 
but  it  ain't  so,  he's  English — they're  awful  particular. 
You  won't  mind  my  saying  that.  You — you're  Eng 
lish?" 

-Yes." 

"I  thought  so.  I  could  tell  it  by  the  way  you  mis 
pronounce  the  words  that's  got  as  in  them,  you  know; 
such  as  saying  loffwhen  you  mean  laff — but  you'll  get 
over  that.  He's  a  right  down  good  fellow,  and  a  little 
sociable  with  the  photographer's  boy  and  the  caulker 
and  the  blacksmith  that  work  in  the  navy  yard,  but  not 
so  much  with  the  others.  The  fact  is,  though  it's  pri 
vate,  and  the  others  don't  know  it,  he's  a  kind  of  an 
aristocrat,  his  father  being  a  doctor,  and  you  know  what 
style  that  is — in  England,  I  mean,  because  in  this  coun 
try  a  doctor  ain't  so  very  much,  even  if  he's  that.  But 
over  there  of  course  it's  different.  So  this  chap  had,  a 
falling  out  with  his  father,  and  was  pretty  high  strung, 
and  just  cut  for  this  country,  and  the  first  he  knew  he 
had  to  get  to  work  or  starve.  Well,  he'd  been  to  col 
lege,  you  see,  and  so  he  judged  he  was  all  right — did 
you  say  anything?" 

"No — I  only  sighed." 

"And  there's  where  he  was  mistaken.  Why,  he 
mighty  near  starved.  And  I  reckon  he  would  have 
starved  sure  enough,  if  some  jour'  printer  or  other  hadn't 
took  pity  on  him  and  got  him  a  place  as  apprentice. 
So  he  learnt  the  trade,  and  then  he  was  all  right — but 
it  was  a  close  call.  Once  he  thought  he  had  got  to  haul 
in  his  pride  and  holler  for  his  father  and — why,  you're 


IO8  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

sighing  again.  Is  anything  the  matter  with  you  ? — does 
my  clatter—" 

"Oh,  dear-no.     Pray  go  on — I  like  it." 

"Yes,  you  see,  he's  been  over  here  ten  years;  he's 
twenty-eight,  now,  and  he  ain't  pretty  well  satisfied  in 
his  mind,  because  he  can't  get  reconciled  to  being  a 
mechanic  and  associating  with  mechanics,  he  being,  as 
he  says  to  me,  a  gentleman,  which  is  a  pretty  plain  let- 
ting-on  that  the  boys  ain't,  but  of  course  I  know  enough 
not  to  let  tJiat  cat  out  of  the  bag." 

"Why — would  there  be  any  harm  in  it? " 

"Harm  in  it?  They'd  lick  him,  wouldn't  they? 
Wouldn't  you?  Of  course  you  would.  Don't  you  ever 
let  a  man  say  you  ain't  a  gentleman  in  this  country. 
But  laws,  what  am  I  thinking  about?  I  reckon  a  body 
would  think  twice  before  he  said  a  cowboy  wasn't  a 
gentleman." 

A  trim,  active,  slender  and  very  pretty  girl  of  about 
eighteen  walked  into  the  room  now,  in  the  most  satis 
fied  and  unembarrassed  way.  She  was  cheaply  but 
smartly  and  gracefully  dressed,  and  the  mother's  quick- 
glance  at  the  stranger's  face  as  he  rose,  was  of  the  kind 
which  inquires  what  effect  has  been  produced,  and  ex 
pects  to  find  indications  of  surprise  and  admiration. 

"This  is  my  daughter  Hattie — we  call  her  Puss.  It's 
the  new  boarder,  Puss."  This  without  rising. 

The  young  Englishman  made  the  awkward  bow 
common  to  his  nationality  and  time  of  life  in  circum 
stances  of  delicacy  and  difficulty,  and  these  were  of 
that  sort;  for,  being  taken  by  surprise,  his  natural,  life 
long  self  sprang  to  the  front,  and  that  self  of  course 
would  not  know  just  how  to  act  when  introduced  to  a 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


ICQ 


chambermaid,  or  to  the  heiress  of  a  mechanics'  board 
ing  house.  His  other  self — the  self  which  recognized 
the  equality  of  all  men — would  have  managed  the  thing 
better,  if  it  hadn't  been  caught  off  guard  and  robbed  of 
its  chance.  The  young  girl  paid  no  attention  to  the 


\ 


"  HOW   DO    YOU    DO? 


bow,  but  put  out  her  hand  frankly  and  gave  the  stran 
ger  a  friendly  shake  and  said— 

<(  How  do  you  do  ? " 

Then  she  marched  to  the  one  washstand  in  the  room, 
tilted  her  head  this  way  and  that  before  the  wreck  of  a 
cheap  mirror  that  hung  above  it,  dampened  her  fingers 
with  her  tongue,  perfected  the  circle  of  a  little  lock  of 


I  10  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

hair  that  was  pasted  against  her  forehead,  then  began 
to  busy  herself  with  the  slops. 

"Well,  I  must  be  going — it's  getting  towards  supper 
time.  Make  yourself  at  home,  Mr.  Tracy,  you'll  hear 
the  bell  when  it's  ready." 

The  landlady  took  her  tranquil  departure,  without 
commanding  either  of  the  young  people  to  vacate  the 
room.  The  young  man  wondered  a  little  that  a  mother 
who  seemed  so  honest  and  respectable  should  be  so 
thoughtless,  and  was  reaching  for  his  hat,  intending 
to  disembarrass  the  girl  of  his  presence  ;  but  she 
said — 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"Well — nowhere  in  particular,  but  as  I  am  only  in 
the  way  here- — " 

"Why,  who  said  you  were  in  the  way?  Sit  down — 
I'll  move  you  when  you  are  in  the  way." 

She  was  making  the  beds,  now.  He  sat  down  and 
watched  her  deft  and  diligent  performance. 

"What  gave  you  that  notion?  Do  you  reckon  I 
need  a  whole  room  just  to  make  up  a  bed  or  two  in  ?" 

"Well  no,  it  wasn't  that,  exactly.  We  are  away  up 
here  in  an  empty  house,  and  your  mother  being  gone— 

The  girl  interrupted  him  with  an  amused  laugh,  and 
said— 

"  Nobody  to  protect  me  ?  Bless  you,  I  don't  need  it. 
I'm  not  afraid.  I  might  be  if  I  was  alone,  because  I  do 
hate  ghosts,  and  I  don't  deny  it.  Not  that  I  believe  in 
them,  for  I  don't.  I'm  only  just  afraid  of  them." 

"How  can  you  be  afraid  of  them  if  you  don't  believe 
in  them  ?" 

"  Oh,  7  don't  know  the  how  of  it — that's  too  many  for 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  I  I  I 

me ;  I  only  know  it's  so.  It's  the  same  with  Maggie 
Lee." 

''Who  is  that?" 

"One  of  the  boarders;  young  lady  that  works  in  the 
factry." 

"She  works  in  a  factory?" 

"Yes.     Shoe  factry." 

"In  a  shoe  factory;  and  you  call  her  a  young  lady?" 

"Why,  she's  only  twenty-two;  what  should  you  call 
her?" 

"  I  wasn't  thinking  of  her  age,  I  was  thinking  of  the 
title.  The  fact  is,  I  came  away  from  England  to  get 
away  from  artificial  forms — for  artificial  forms  suit  arti 
ficial  people  only — and  here  you've  got  them  too.  I'm 
sorry.  I  hoped  you  had  only  men  and  women;  every 
body  equal;  no  differences  in  rank." 

The  girl  stopped  \yith  a  pillow  in  her  teeth  and  the 
case  spread  open  below  it,  contemplating  him  from  un 
der  her  brows  with  a  slightly  puzzled  expression.  She 
released  the  pillow  and  said — 

"  Why,  they  are  all  equal.  Where's  any  difference 
in  rank  ?" 

"  If  you  call  a  factory  girl  a  young  lady,  what  do  you 
call  the  President's  wife?" 

"Call  her  an  old  one." 

"Oh,  you  make  age  the  only  distinction?" 

"There  ain't  any  other  to  make  as  far  as  I  can 
see." 

"Then  all  women  are  ladies?" 

"Certainly  they  are.     All  the  respectable  ones." 

"Well,  that  puts  a  better  face  on  it.  Certainly  there 
is  no  harm  in  a  title  when  it  is  given  to  everybody.  It 


112  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

is  only  an  offense  and  a  wrong  when  it  is  restricted  to 
a  favored  few.  But  Miss — er — " 

"Hattie." 

"Miss  Hattie,  be  frank;  confess  that  that  title  isn't 
accorded  by  everybody  to  everybody.  The  rich  Amer 
ican  doesn't  call  her  cook  a  lady — isn't  that  so?" 

"Yes,  it's  so.     What  of  it?" 

He  was  surprised  and  a  little  disappointed,  to  see  that 
his  admirable  shot  had  produced  no  perceptible  effect. 

"Whattf/it?"  he  said.  "Why  this:  equality  is  not 
conceded  here,  after  all,  and  the  Americans  are  no 
better  off  than  the  English.  In  fact  there's  no  differ 
ence." 

"Now  what  an  idea.  There's  nothing  in  a  title  ex 
cept  what  is  put  into  it — you've  said  that  yourself.  Sup 
pose  the  title  is  clean,  instead  of  lady.  You  get  that  ? " 

"I  believe  so.  Instead  of  speaking  of  a  woman  as  a 
lady,  you  substitute  clean  and  say  she's  a  clean  person." 

"That's  it.  In  England  the  swell  folks  don't  speak 
of  the  working  people  as  gentlemen  and  ladies?" 

"Oh,  no." 

"And  the  working  people  don't  call  themselves 
gentlemen  and  ladies?" 

"Certainly  not." 

"So  if  you  used  the  other  word  there  wouldn't  be 
any  change.  The  swell  people  wouldn't  call  anybody 
but  themselves  'clean,'  and  those  others  would  drop 
sort  of  meekly  into  their  way  of  talking  and  they 
wouldn't  call  themselves  clean.  We  don't  do  that  way 
here.  Everybody  calls  himself  a  lady  or  gentleman, 
and  thinks  he  is,  and  don't  care  what  anybody  else 
thinks  him,  so  long  as  he  don't  say  it  out  loud.  You 


THE  AMERfCAN  CLAIMANT.  I  I  ^ 

think  there's  no  difference.  You  knuckle  down  and  we 
doiit.  Ain't  that  a  difference  ?" 

"It  is  a  difference  I  hadn't  thought  of;  I  admit  that. 
Still — calling  one's  self  a  lady  doesn't — er — 

"I  wouldn't  go  on  if  I  were  you." 

Howard  Tracy  turned  his  head  to  see  who  it  might 
be  that  had  introduced  this  remark.  It  was  a  short 
man  about  forty  years  old,  with  sandy  hair,  no  beard, 
and  a  pleasant  face  badly  freckled  but  alive  and  intelli 
gent,  and  he  wore  slop-shop  clothing  which  was  neat 
but  showed  wear.  He  had  come  from  the  front  room 
beyond  the  hall,  where  he  had  left  his  hat,  and  he  had 
a  chipped  and  cracked  white  wash-bowl  in  his  hand. 
The  girl  came  and  took  the  bowl. 

"  I'll  get  it  for  you.  You  go  right  ahead  and  give 
it  to  him,  Mr.  Barrow.  He's  the  new  boarder — Mr. 
Tracy — and  I'd  just  got  to  where  it  was  getting  too 
deep  for  me." 

"  Much  obliged  if  you  will,  Hattie.  I  was  coming 
to  borrow  of  the  boys."  He  sat  down  at  his  ease  on 
an  old  trunk,  and  said,  "  I've  been  listening  and  got 
interested;  and  as  I  was  saying,  I  wouldn't  go  On,  if 
I  were  you.  You  see  where  you  are  coming  to,  clon't 
you  ?  Calling  yourself  a  lady  doesn't  elect  you;  that 
is  what  you  were  going  to  say;  and  you  saw  that  if 
you  said  it  you  were  going  to  run  right  up  against  an 
other  difference  that  you  hadn't  thought  of:  to-wit, 
Whose  right  is  it  to  do  the  electing  ?  Over  there, 
twenty  thousand  people  in  a  million  elect  themselves 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  and  the  nine  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  accept  that  decree  and  swallow  the  affront 
which  it  puts  upon  them.  Why,  if  they  didn't  accept 


I  14  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

it,  it  wouldn't  be  an  election,  it  Avould  be  a  dead  letter 
and  have  no  force  at  all.  Over  here  the  twenty  thou 
sand  would-be  exclusives  come  up  to  the  polls  and 
vote  themselves  to  be  ladies  and  gentlemen.  But  the 
thing  doesn't  stop  there.  The  nine  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  come  and  vote  themselves  to  be  ladies  and 
gentlemen  too,  and  that  elects  the  whole  nation.  Since 
the  whole  million  vote  themselves  ladies  and  gentle 
men,  there  is  no  question  about  that  election.  It  does 
make  absolute  equality,  and  there  is  no  fiction  about 
it;  while  over  yonder  the  inequality,  (by  decree  of 
the  infinitely  feeble,  and  consent  of  the  infinitely 
strong,)  is  also  absolute — as  real  and  absolute  as  our 
equality." 

Tracy  had  shrunk  promptly  into  his  English  shell 
when  this  speech  began,  notwithstanding  he  had  now 
been  in  severe  training  several  weeks  for  contact  and 
intercourse  with  the  common  herd  on  the  common 
herd's  terms;  but  he  lost  no  time  in  pulling  himself 
out  again,  and  so  by  the  time  the  speech  was  finished 
his  valves  were  open  once  more,  and  he  was  forcing 
himself  to  accept  without  resentment  the  common 
herd's  frank  fashion  of  dropping  sociably  into  other 
people's  conversations  unembarrassed  and  uninvited. 
The  process  was  not  very  difficult  this  time,  for  the 
man's  smile  and  voice  and  manner  were  persuasive 
and  winning.  Tracy  would  even  have  liked  him  on 
the  spot,  but  for  the  fact — fact  which  he  was  not  really 
aware  of — that  the  equality  of  men  was  not  yet  a  real 
ity  to  him,  it  was  only  a  theory;  the  mind  perceived, 
but  the  man  failed  to  feel  it.  It  was  Hattie's  ghost  over 
again,  merely  turned  around.  Theoretically  Barrow 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  I  I  5 

was  his  equal,  but  it  was  distinctly  distasteful  to  sec 
him  exhibit  it.     He  presently  said: 

"  I  hope  in  all  sincerity  that  what  you  have  said  is 
true,  as  regards  the  Americans,  for  doubts  have  crept 
into  my  mind  several  times.  It  seemed  that  the  equal 
ity  must  be  ungenuine  where  the  sign-names  of  castes 
were  still  in  vogue;  but  those  sign-names  have  cer 
tainly  lost  their  offence  and  are  wholly  neutralized, 
nullified  and  harmless  if  they  are  the  undisputed  prop 
erty  of  every  individual  in  the  nation.  I  think  I  realize 
that  caste  does  not  exist  and  cannot  exist  except  by 
common  consent  of  the  masses  outside  of  its  limits.  I 
thought  caste  created  itself  and  perpetuated  itself;  but 
it  seems  quite  true  that  it  only  creates  itself,  and  is 
perpetuated  by  the  people  whom  it  despises,  and  who 
can  dissolve  it  at  any  time  by  assuming  its  mere  sign- 
names  themselves." 

"  It's  what  I  think.  There  isn't  any  power  on  earth 
that  can  prevent  England's  thirty  millions  from  elect 
ing  themselves  dukes  and  duchesses  to-morrow  and 
calling  themselves  so.  And  within  six  months  all  the 
former  dukes  and  duchesses  would  have  retired  from 
the  business.  I  wish  they'd  try  that.  Royalty  itself 
couldn't  survive  such  a  process.  A  handful  of  frown- 
ers  against  thirty  million  laughers  in  a  state  of  irrup 
tion:  Why,  it's  Herculaneum  against  Vesuvius;  it 
would  take  another  eighteen  centuries  to  find  that 
Herculaneum  after  the  cataclysm.  What's  a  Colonel  in 
our  South  ?  He's  a  nobody;  because  they're  all  colo 
nels  down  there.  No,  Tracy  "  (shudder  from  Tracy) 
"  nobody  in  England  would  call  you  a  gentleman  and 
you  wouldn't  call  yourself  one;  and  I  tell  you  it's  a 


I  I  6  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

state  of  things  that  makes  a  man  put  himself  into  most 
unbecoming  attitudes  sometimes — the  broad  and  gen 
eral  recognition  and  acceptance  of  caste  as  caste  does, 
I  mean.  Makes  him  do  it  unconsciously — being  bred 
in  him,  you  see,  and  never  thought  over  and  reasoned 
out.  You  couldn't  conceive  of  the  Matterhorn  being 
flattered  by  the  notice  of  one  of  your  comely  little  Eng 
lish  hills,  could  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  no." 

"  Well,  then,  let  a  man  in  his  right  mind  try  to  con 
ceive  of  Darwin  feeling  flattered  by  the  notice  of  a 
princess.  It's  so  grotesque  that  it — well,  it  paralyzes 
the  imagination.  Yet  that  Memnon  ivas  flattered  by 
the  notice  of  that  statuette;  he  says  so — says  so  him 
self.  The  system  that  can  make  a  god  disown  his  god- 
ship  and  profane* it — oh,  well,  it's  all  wrong,  it's  all 
wrong  and  ought  to  be  abolished,  I  should  say." 

The  mention  of  Darwin  brought  on  a  literary  discus 
sion,  and  this  topic  roused  such  enthusiasm  in  Barrow 
that  he  took  off  his  coat  and  made  himself  the  more 
free  and  comfortable  for  it,  and  detained  him  so  long 
that  he  was  still  at  it  when  the  noisy  proprietors  of  the 
room  came  shouting  and  skylarking  in  and  began  to 
romp,  scuffle,  wash,  and  otherwise  entertain  them 
selves.  He  lingered  yet  a  little  longer  to  offer  the  hos 
pitalities  of  his  room  and  his  book  shelf  to  Tracy  and 
ask  him  a  personal  question  or  two: 

"  What  is  your  trade  ?  " 

"  They — well,  they  call  me  a  cowboy,  but  that  is  a 
fancy;  I'm  not  that.  I  haven't  any  trade." 

"  What  do  you  work  at  for  your  living  ?  " 

"  Oh,  anything — I  mean  I  would  work  at  anything 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  I  I  7 

I  could  get  to  do,  but  thus  far  I  haven't  been  able  to 
find  an  occupation." 

"  Maybe  I  can  help  you;   I'd  like  to  try." 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad.  I've  tried,  myself,  to  weari 
ness." 

"  Well,  of  course  where  a  man  hasn't  a  regular  trade 
he's  pretty  bad  off  in  this  world.  What  you  needed,  I 
reckon,  was  less  book  learning  and  more  bread-and- 
butter  learning.  I  don't  know  what  your  father  could 
have  been  thinking  of.  You  ought  to  have  had  a  trade, 
you  ought  to  have  had  a  trade,  by  all  means.  But 
never  mind  about  that;  we'll  stir  up  something  to  do,  I 
guess.  And  don't  you  get  homesick;  that's  a  bad 
business.  We'll  talk  the  thing  over  and  look  around  a 
little.  You'll  come  out  all  right.  Wait  for  me — I'll  go 
down  to  supper  with  you." 

By  this  time  Tracy  had  achieved  a  very  friendly  feel 
ing  for  Barrow  and  would  have  called  him  a  friend, 
maybe,  if  not  taken  too  suddenly  on  a  straight-out  re 
quirement  to  realize  on  his  theories.  He  was  glad  of 
his  society,  anyway,  and  was  feeling  lighter  hearted 
than  before.  Also  he  was  pretty  curious  to  know  what 
vocation  it  might  be  which  had  furnished  Barrow  such 
a  large  acquaintanceship  with  books  and  allowed  him 
so  much  time  to  read. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

PRESENTLY  the  supper  bell  began  to  ring  in  the 
depths  of  the  house,  and  the  sound  proceeded  steadily 
upward,  growing  in  intensity  all  the  way  up  towards  the 
upper  floors.  The  higher  it  came  the  more  maddening 
was  the  noise,  until  at  last  what  it  lacked  of  being  ab 
solutely  deafening,  was  made  up  of  the  sudden  crash 
and  clatter  of  an  avalanche  of  boarders  down  the  un- 
carpeted  stairway.  The  peerage  did  not  go  to  meals 
in  this  fashion;  Tracy's  training  had  not  fitted  him  to 
enjoy  this  hilarious  zoological  clamor  and  enthusiasm. 
He  had  to  confess  that  there  was  something  about  this 
extraordinary  outpouring  of  animal  spirits  which  he 
would  have  to  get  inured  to  before  he  could  accept  it. 
No  doubt  in  time  he  would  prefer  it;  but  he  wished  the 
process  might  be  modified  and  made  just  a  little  more 
gradual,  and  not  quite  so  pronounced  and  violent. 
Barrow  and  Tracy  followed  the  avalanche  down 
through  an  ever  increasing  and  ever  more  and  more 
aggressive  stench  of  bygone  cabbage  and  kindred 
smells;  smells  which  are  to  be  found  nowhere  but  in  a 
cheap  private  boarding  house;  smells  which  once 
encountered  can  never  be  forgotten;  smells  which 
encountered  generations  later  are  instantly  recogniz 
able,  but  never  recognizable  with  pleasure.  To  Tracy 
these  odors  were  suffocating,  horrible,  almost  unendur 
able;  but  he  held  his  peace  and  said  nothing.  Arrived  in 

118 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  I  19 

the  basement,  they  entered  a  large  dining-room  where 
thirty-five  or  forty  people  sat  at  a  long  table.  They 
took  their  places.  The  feast  had  already  begun  and 
the  conversation  was  going  on  in  the  liveliest  way  from 
one  end  of  the  table  to  the  other.  The  table  cloth  was 
of  very  coarse  material  and  was  liberally  spotted  with 
coffee  stains  and  grease.  The  knives  and  forks  were 
iron,  with  bone  handles,  the  spoons  appeared  to  be  iron 
or  sheet  iron  or  something  of  the  sort.  The  tea  and 
coffee  cups  were  of  the  commonest  and  heaviest  and 
most  durable  stone  ware.  All  the  furniture  of  the 
table  was  of  the  commonest  and  cheapest  sort.  There 
was  a  single  large  thick  slice  of  bread  by  each  board 
er's  plate,  and  it  was  observable  that  he  economized  it 
as  if  he  were  not  expecting  it  to  be  duplicated.  Dishes 
of  butter  were  distributed  along  the  table  within  reach 
of  people's  arms,  if  they  had  long  ones,  but  there  were 
no  private  butter  plates.  The  butter  was  perhaps  good 
enough,  and  was  quiet  and  well  behaved  ;  but  it  had 
more  bouquet  than  was  necessary,  though  nobody 
commented  upon  that  fact  or  seemed  in  any  way  dis 
turbed  by  it.  The  main  feature  of  the  feast  was  a 
piping  hot  Irish  stew  made  of  the  potatoes  and  meat 
left  over  from  a  procession  of  previous  meals.  Every 
body  was  liberally  supplied  with  this  dish.  On  the 
table  were  a  couple  of  great  dishes  of  sliced  ham,  and 
there  were  some  other  eatables  of  minor  importance- 
preserves  and  New  Orleans  molasses  and  such  things. 
There  was  also  plenty  of  tea  and  coffee  of  an  infernal 
sort,  with  brown  sugar  and  condensed  milk,  but  the 
milk  and  sugar  supply  was  not  left  at  the  discretion  of 
the  boarders,  but  was  rationed  out  at  headquarters — 


I  2O  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

one  spoonful  of  sugar  and  one  of  condensed  milk  to 
each  cup  and  no  more.  The  table  was  waited  upon  by 
two  stalwart  negro  women  who  raced  back  and  forth 
from  the  bases  of  supplies  with  splendid  dash  and  clat 
ter  and  energy.  Their  labors  were  supplemented  after 
a  fashion  by  the  young  girl  Puss.  She  carried  coffee 
and  tea  back  and  forth  among  the  boarders,  but  she 
made  pleasure  excursions  rather  than  business  ones  in 
this  way,  to  speak  strictly.  She  made  jokes  with  vari 
ous  people.  She  chaffed  the  young  men  pleasantly — 
and  wittily,  as  she  supposed,  and  as  the  rest  also  sup 
posed,  apparently,  judging  by  the  applause  and  laugh 
ter  which  she  got  by  her  efforts.  Manifestly  she  was 
a  favorite  with  most  of  the  young  fellow's  and  sweet 
heart  of  the  rest  of  them.  Where  she  conferred  notice 
she  conferred  happiness,  as  was  seen  by  the  face  of  the 
recipient;  and  at  the  same  time  she  conferred  unhappi- 
ness — one  could  see  it  fall  and  dim  the  faces  of  the 
other  young  fellows  like  a  shadow.  She  never  "  Mis 
tered  "  these  friends  of  hers,  but  called  them  "  Billy," 
"  Tom,"  "John,"  and  they  called  her  "Puss"  or 
"  Hattie." 

Mr.  Marsh  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table,  his  wife  sat  at 
the  foot.  Marsh  was  a  man  of  sixty,  and  was  an 
American;  but  if  he  had  been  born  a  month  earlier  he 
would  have  been  a  Spaniard.  He  was  plenty  good 
enough  Spaniard  as  it  was;  his  face  was  very  dark, 
his  hair  very  black,  and  his  eyes  were  not  only  ex 
ceedingly  black  but  were  very  intense,  and  there  was 
something  about  them  that  indicated  that  they  could 
burn  with  passion  upon  occasion.  He  was  stoop- 
shouldered  and  lean-faced,  and  the  general  aspect  of 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT,  \  2  I 

him  was  disagreeable;  he  was  evidently  not  a  very 
companionable  person.  If  looks  went  for  anything, 
he  was  the  very  opposite  of  his  wife,  who  was  all 
motherliness  and  charity,  good  will  and  good  nature. 
All  the  young  men  and  the  women  called  her  Aunt 
Rachael,  which  was  another  sign.  Tracy's  wandering 
and  interested  eye  presently  fell  upon  one  boarder 
who  had  been  overlooked  in  the  distribution  of  the 
stew.  He  was  very  pale  and  looked  as  if  he  had  but 
lately  come  out  of  a  sick  bed,  and  also  as  if  he  ought  to 
get  back  into  it  again  as  soon  as  possible.  His  face 
was  very  melancholy.  The  waves  of  laughter  and  con 
versation  broke  upon  it  without  affecting  it  any  more 
than  if  it  had  been  a  rock  in  the  sea  and  the  words  and 
the  laughter  veritable  waters.  He  held  his  head  down 
and  looked  ashamed.  Some  of  the  women  cast  glances 
of  pity  toward  him  from  time  to  time  in  a  furtive  and 
half  afraid  way,  and  some  of  the  youngest  of  the  men 
plainly  had  compassion  on  the  young  fellow — a  com 
passion  exhibited  in  their  faces  but  not  in  any  more 
active  or  compromising  way.  But  the  great  majority 
of  the  people  present  showed  entire  indifference  to 
the  youth  and  his  sorrows.  Marsh  sat  with  his  head 
down,  but  one  could  catch  the  malicious  gleam  of 
his  eyes  through  his  shaggy  brows.  He  was  watch 
ing  that  young  fellow  with  evident  relish.  He  had  not 
neglected  him  through  carelessness,  and  apparently 
the  table  understood  that  fact.  The  spectacle  was  mak 
ing  Mrs.  Marsh  very  uncomfortable.  She  had  the  look 
of  one  who  hopes  against  hope  that  the  impossible 
may  happen.  But  as  the  impossible  did  not  happen, 
she  finally  ventured  to  speak  up  and  remind  her  hus- 


I  2  2  THE  A  M ERIC  A  N  CLA  IMA  NT. 

band  that  Nat  Brady  hadn't  been  helped  to  the  Irish 
stew. 

Marsh  lifted  his  head  and  gasped  out  with  mock 
courtliness,  "  Oh,  he  hasn't,  hasn't  he  ?  What  a  pity 
that  is.  I  don't  know  how  I  came  to  overlook  him. 
Ah,  he  must  pardon  me.  You  must  indeed  Mr — er— 
Baxter — Barker,  you  must  pardon  me.  I — er — my  at 
tention  was  directed  to  some  other  master,  I  don't 
know  what.  The  thing  that  grieves  me  mainly  is, 
that  it  happens  every  meal  now.  But  you  must  try 
to  overlook  these  little  things,  Mr.  Bunker,  these  little 
neglects  on  my  part.  They're  always  likely  to  hap 
pen  with  me  in  any  case,  and  they  are  especially  like 
ly  to  happen  where  a  person  has — er — well,  where  a 
person  is,  say,  about  three  weeks  in  arrears  for  his 
board.  You  get  my  meaning? — you  get  my  idea? 
Here  is  your  Irish  stew,  and — er — it  gives  me  the 
greatest  pleasure  to  send  it  to  you,  and  I  hope  that 
you  will  enjoy  the  charity  as  much  as  I  enjoy  confer 
ring  it." 

A  blush  rose  in  Brady's  white  cheeks  and  flowed 
slowly  backward  to  his  ears  and  upward  toward  his 
forehead,  but  he  said  nothing  and  began  to  eat  his 
food  under  the  embarrassment  of  a  general  silence  and 
the  sense  that  all  eyes  were  fastened  upon  him.  Bar 
row  whispered  to  Tracy: 

"  The  old  man's  been  waiting  for  that.  He  wouldn't 
have  missed  that  chance  for  anything." 

"  It's  a  brutal  business,"  said  Tracy.  Then  he  said 
to  himself,  purposing  to  set  the  thought  down  in  his 
diary  later: 

"Well,  here  in  this  very  house  is  a  republic  where 


THE  A  M ERIC  A  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  12$ 

all  are  free  and  equal,  if  men  are  free  and  equal  any 
where  in  the  earth,  therefore  I  have  arrived  at  the 
place  I  started  to  find,  and  I  am  a  man  among  men, 
and  on  the  strictest  equality  possible  to  men,  no  doubt. 
Yet  here  on  the  threshold  I  find  an  inequality.  There 
are  people  at  this  table  who  are  looked  up  to  for  some 
reason  or  another,  and  here  is  a  poor  devil  of  a  boy 
who  is  looked  down  upon,  treated  with  indifference, 
and  shamed  by  humiliations,  when  he  has  committed 
no  crime  but  that  common  one  of  being  poor.  Equal 
ity  ought  to  make  men  noble-minded.  In  fact  I  had 
supposed  it  did  do  that." 

After  supper,  Barrow  proposed  a  walk,  and  they 
started.  Barrow  had  a  purpose.  He  wanted  Tracy  to 
get  rid  of  that  cowboy  hat.  He  didn't  see  his  way  to 
finding  mechanical  or  manual  employment  for  a  per 
son  rigged  in  that  fashion.  Barrow  presently  said— 

"  As  I  understand  it,  you're  not  a  cowboy." 

"  No,  I'm  not." 

"  Well,  now  if  you  will  not  think  me  too  curious, 
how  did  you  come  to  mount  that  hat  ?  Where'd  you 
get  it  ?  " 

Tracy  didn't  know  quite  how  to  reply  to  this,  but 
presently  said,— 

"  Well,  without  going  into  particulars,  I  exchanged 
clothes  with  a  stranger  under  stress  of  weather,  and  I 
would  like  to  find  him  and  re-exchange." 

"  Well,  why  don't  you  find  him  ?     Where  is  he  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  supposed  the  best  way  to  find 
him  would  be  to  continue  to  wear  his  clothes,  which 
are  conspicuous  enough  to  attract  his  attention  if  I 
should  meet  him  on  the  street." 


I24 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


"  Oh,  very  well,"  said  Barrow,  "  the  rest  of  the  out 
fit  is  well  enough,  and  while  it's  not  too  conspicuous,  it 
isn't  quite  like  the  clothes  that  anybody  else  wears. 
Suppress  the  hat.  When  you  meet  your  man  he'll  rec 
ognize  the  rest  of  his  suit.  That's  a  mighty  embarrass 
ing  hat,  you  know,  in  a  centre  of  civilization  like  this. 


"BOTH  WERE  so  PARALYZED  WITH  JOY." 

I  don't  believe    an    angel    could   get  employment   in 
Washington  in  a  halo  like  that." 

Tracy  agreed  to  replace  the  hat  with  something  of 
a  modester  form,  and  they  stepped  aboard  a  crowded 
car  and  stood  with  others  on  the  rear  platform.  Pres 
ently,  as  the  car  moved  swiftly  along  the  rails,  two  men 
crossing  the  street  caught  sight  of  the  backs  of  Bar 
row  and  Tracy,  and  both  exclaimed  at  once,  "  There 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

he  is  !  "  It  was  Sellers  and  Hawkins.  Both  were  so 
paralyzed  with  joy  that  before  they  could  pull  them 
selves  together  and  make  an  effort  to  stop  the  car,  it  was 
gone  too  far,  and  they  decided  to  wait  for  the  next  one. 
They  waited  a  while;  then  it  occurred  to  Washington 
that  there  could  be  no  use  in  chasing  one  horse-car 
with  another,  and  he  wanted  to  hunt  up  a  hack.  But 
the  Colonel  said: 

"  When  you  come  to  thir1"  of  it,  there's  no  occasion 
for  that  at  all.  Now  that  I've  got  him  materialized,  I 
can  command  his  motions.  I'll  have  him  at  the  house 
by  the  time  we  get  there." 

Then  they  hurried  off  home  in  a  state  of  great  and 
joyful  excitement. 

The  hat  exchange  accomplished,  the  two  new  friends 
started  to  walk  back  leisurely  to  the  boarding  house. 
Barrow's  mind  was  full  of  curiosity  about  this  young 
fellow.  He  said,— 

"  You've  never  been  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  ? " 

"No." 

"  You've  never  been  out  on  the  plains  ? " 

-No." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  this  country  ?  " 

"  Only  a  few  days." 

"  You've  never  been  in  America  before  ?  " 

"No." 

Then  Barrow  communed  with  himself.  "  Now  what 
odd  shapes  the  notions  of  romantic  people  take.  Here's 
a  young  fellow  who's  read  in  England  about  cowboys 
and  adventures  on  the  plains.  He  comes  here  and 
buys  a  cowboy's  suit.  Thinks  he  can  play  himself  on 
folks  for  a  cowboy,  all  inexperienced  as  he  is.  Now 


I  26  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

the  minute  he's  caught  in  this  poor  little  game,  he's 
ashamed  of  it  and  ready  to  retire  from  it.  It  is  that 
exchange  that  he  has  put  up  as  an  explanation.  It's 
rather  thin,  too  thin  altogether.  Well,  he's  young, 
never  been  anywhere,  knows  nothing  about  the  world, 
sentimental,  no  doubt.  Perhaps  it  was  the  natural 
thing  for  him  to  do,  but  it  was  a  most  singular  choice, 
curious  freak,  altogether." 

Both  men  were  busy  with  their  thoughts  for  a  time, 
then  Tracy  heaved  a  sigh  and  said,— 

"  Mr.  Barrow,  the  case  of  that  young  fellow  troubles 
me." 

''You  mean  Nat  Brady?" 

"  Yes,  Brady,  or  Baxter,  or  whatever  it  was.  The 
old  landlord  called  him  by  several  different  names." 

"Oh,  yes,  he  has  been  very  liberal  with  names  for 
Brady,  since  Brady  fell  into  arrears  for  his  board.  Well, 
that's  one  of  his  sarcasms — the  old  man  thinks  he's 
great  on  sarcasm." 

"Well,  what  is  Brady's  difficulty  ?  What  is  Brady 
— who  is  he  ?  " 

"  Brady  is  a  tinner.  He's  a  young  journeyman  tin 
ner  who  was  getting  along  all  right  till  he  fell  sick  and 
lost  his  job.  He  was  very  popular  before  he  lost  his 
job;  everybody  in  the  house  liked  Brady.  The  old 
man  was  rather  especially  fond  of  him,  but  you  know 
that  when  a  man  loses  his  job  and  loses  his  ability  to 
support  himself  and  to  pay  his  way  as  he  goes,  it  makes 
a  great  difference  in  the  way  people  look  at  him  and 
feel  about  him." 

"Is  that  so  !     Is  it  so  ? " 

Barrow  looked  at  Tracy  in  a  puzzled  way.      "  Why 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  I  2  J 

of  course  it's  so.  Wouldn't  you  know  that,  naturally. 
Don't  you  know  that  the  wounded  deer  is  always  at 
tacked  and  killed  by  its  companions  and  friends  ?  " 

Tracy  said  to  himself,  while  a  chilly  and  boding  dis 
comfort  spread  itself  through  his  system,  "  In  a  republic 
of  deer  and  men  where  all  are  free  and  equal,  misfortune 
is  a  crime,  and  the  prosperous  gore  the  unfortunate  to 
death."  Then  he  said  aloud,  "Here  in  the  boarding 
house,  if  one  would  have  friends  and  be  popular  instead 
of  having  the  cold  shoulder  turned  upon  him,  he  must 
be  prosperous." 

"Yes,"  Barrow  said,  "  that  is  so.  It's  their  human 
nature.  They  do  turn  against  Brady,  now  that  he's 
unfortunate,  and  they  don't  like  him  as  well  as  they  did 
before;  but  it  isn't  because  of  any  lack  in  Brady — he's 
just  as  he  was  before,  has  the  same  nature  and  the  same 
impulses,  but  they — well,  Brady  is  a  thorn  in  their  con 
sciences,  you  see.  They  know  they  ought  to  help  him 
and  they're  too  stingy  to  do  it,  and  they're  ashamed  of 
themselves  for  that,  and  they  ought  also  to  hate  them 
selves  on  that  account,  but  instead  of  that  they  hate 
Brady  because  he  makes  them  ashamed  of  themselves. 
I  say  that's  human  nature;  that  occurs  everywhere; 
this  boarding  house  is  merely  the  world  in  little,  it's 
the  case  all  over — they're  all  alike.  In  prosperity  we 
are  popular;  popularity  comes  easy  in  that  case,  but 
when  the  other  thing  comes  our  friends  are  pretty  likely 
to  turn  against  us." 

Tracy's  noble  theories  and  high  purposes  were  begin 
ning  to  feel  pretty  damp  and  clammy.  He  wondered  if 
by  any  possibility  he  had  made  a  mistake  in  throwing 
his  own  prosperity  to  the  winds  and  taking  up  the  cross 


1  28  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

of^other  people's  unprosperity.     But  he  wouldn't  listen 
to  that  sort  of  thing;  he  cast  it  out  of  his  mind  and  re 
solved  to  go  ahead  resolutely  along  the  course  he  had 
mapped  out  for  himself. 
Extracts  from  his  diary: 

Have  now  spent  several  days  in  this  singular  hive.  I  don't 
know  quite  what  to  make  out  of  these  people.  They  have  merits 
and  virtues,  but  they  have  some  other  qualities,  and  some  ways 
that  are  hard  to  get  along  with.  I  can't  enjoy  them.  The 
moment  I  appeared  in  a  hat  of  the  period,  I  noticed  a  change. 
The  respect  which  had  been  paid  me  before,  passed  suddenly 
away,  and  the  people  became  friendly — more  than  that — they 
became  familiar,  and  I'm  not  used  to  familiarity,  and  can't  take 
to  it  right  off  ;  I  find  that  out.  These  people's  familiarity  amounts 
to  impudence,  sometimes.  I  suppose  it's  all  right;  no  doubt  I 
can  get  used  to  it,  but  it's  not  a  satisfactory  process  at  all.  1 
have  accomplished  my  dearest  wish,  I  am  a  man  among  men, 
on  an  equal  footing  with  Tom,  Dick  and  Harry,  and  yet  it  isn't 
just  exactly  what  I  thought  it  was  going  to  be.  I — I  miss  home. 
Am  obliged  to  say  I  am  homesick.  Another  thing — and  this  is 
a  confession — a  reluctant  one,  but  I  will  make  it :  The  thing  I 
miss  most  and  most  severely,  is  the  respect,  the  deference,  with 
which  I  was  treated  all  my  life  in  England,  and  which  seems  to 
be  somehow  necessary  to  me.  I  get  along  very  well  without  the 
luxury  and  the  wealth  and  the  sort  of  society  I've  been  accus 
tomed  to,  but  I  do  miss  the  respect  and  can't  seem  to  get  recon 
ciled  to  the  absence  of  it.  There  is  respect,  there  is  deference 
here,  but  it  doesn't  fall  to  my  share.  It  is  lavished  on  two  men. 
One  of  them  is  a  portly  man  of  middle  age  who  is  a  retired 
plumber.  Everybody  is  pleased  to  have  that  man's  notice.  He's 
full  of  pomp  and  circumstance  and  self  complacency  and  bad 
grammar,  and  at  table  he  is  Sir  Oracle  and  when  he  opens  his 
mouth  not  any  dog  in  the  kennel  barks.  The  other  person  is  a 
policeman  at  the  capitol-building.  He  represents  the  govern 
ment.  The  deference  paid  to  these  two  men  is  not  so  very  far 


THE  A  M ERIC  A  N  CLA  IMA  N  T.  I  2  9 

short  of  that  which  is  paid  to  an  earl  in  England,  though  the 
method  of  it  differs.  Not  so  much  courtliness,  but  the  deference 
is  all  there. 

Yes,  and  there  is  obsequiousness,  too. 

It  does  rather  look  as  if  in  a  republic  where  all  are  free  and 
equal,  prosperity  and  position  constitute  rank. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE  days  drifted  by,  and  they  grew  ever  more  dreary. 
For  Barrow's  efforts  to  find  work  for  Tracy  were  un 
availing.  Always  the  first  question  asked  was,  "What 
Union  do  you  belong  to  ? " 

Tracy  was  obliged  to  reply  that  he  didn't  belong  to 
any  trade-union. 

"  Very  well,  then,  it's  impossible  to  employ  you. 
My  men  wouldn't  stay  with  me  if  I  should  employ  a 
'scab,'  or  'rat,'"  or  whatever  the  phrase  was. 

Finally,  Tracy  had  a  happy  thought.  He  said, 
"  Why  the  thing  for  me  to  do,  of  course,  is  to  join  a 
trade-union." 

"  Yes,"  Barrow  said,  "  that  is  the  thing  for  you  to  do 
—if  you  can." 

"\{\can?     Is  it  difficult?" 

"  Well,  yes,"  Barrow  said,  "it's  sometimes  difficult 
—in  fact,  very  difficult.  But  you  can  try,  and  of  course 
it  will  be  best  to  try." 

Therefore  Tracy  tried;  but  he  did  riot  succeed.  He 
was  refused  admission  with  a  good  deal  of  promptness, 
and  was  advised  to  go  back  home,  where  he  belonged, 
not  come  here  taking  honest  men's  bread  out  of  their 
mouths.  Tracy  began  to  realize  that  the  situation  was 
desperate,  and  the  thought  made  him  cold  to  the  mar 
row.  He  said  to  himself,  "  So  there  is  an  aristocracy 
of  position  here,  and  an  aristocracy  of  prosperity,  and 

130 


THE  A  ME  RICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  131 

apparently  there  is  also  an  aristocracy  of  the  ins  as  op 
posed  to  the  outs,  and  I  am  with  the  outs.  So  the 
ranks  grow  daily,  here.  Plainly  there  are  all  kinds  of 
castes  here  and  only  one  that  I  belong  to,  the  outcasts." 
But  he  couldn't  even  smile  at  his  small  joke,  although 
he  was  obliged  to  confess  that  he  had  a  rather  good 
opinion  of  it.  He  was  feeling  so  defeated  and  miserable 
by  this  time  that  he  could  no  longer  look  with  philo 
sophical  complacency  on  the  horseplay  of  the  young 
fellows  in  the  upper  rooms  at  night.  At  first  it  had 
been  pleasant  to  see  them  unbend  and  have  a  good 
time  after  having  so  well  earned  it  by  the  labors  of  the 
day,  but  now  it  all  rasped  upon  his  feelings  and  his 
dignity.  He  lost  patience  with  the  spectacle.  When 
they  were  feeling  good,  they  shouted,  they  scuffled, 
they  sang  songs,  they  romped  about  the  place  like  cat 
tle,  and  they  generally  wound  up  with  a  pillow  fight, 
in  which  they  banged  each  other  over  the  head,  and 
threw  the  pillows  in  all  directions,  and  every  now  and 
then  he  got  a  buffet  himself;  and  they  were  always  in 
viting  him  to  join  in.  They  called  him  "Johnny  Bull," 
and  invited  him  with  excessive  familiarity  to  take  a 
hand.  At  first  he  had  endured  all  this  with  good  na 
ture,  but  latterly  he  had  shown  by  his  manner  that  it 
wras  distinctly  distasteful  to  him,  and  very  soon  he  saw 
a  change  in  the  manner  of  these  young  people  toward 
him.  They  were  souring  on  him  as  they  would  have 
expressed  it  in  their  language.  He  had  never  been 
what  might  be  called  popular.  That  was  hardly  the 
phrase  for  it;  he  had  merely  been  liked,  but  now  dislike 
for  him  was  growing.  His  case  was  not  helped  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  out  of  luck,  couldn't  get  work,  didn't 


132  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

belong  to  a  union,  and  couldn't  gain  admission  to  one. 
He  got  a  good  many  slights  of  that  small  ill-defined 
sort  that  you  can't  quite  put  your  finger  on,  and  it  was 
manifest  that  there  was  only  one  thing  which  protected 
him  from  open  insult,  and  that  was  his  muscle.  These 
young  people  had  seen  him  exercising,  mornings,  after 
his  cold  sponge  bath,  and  they  had  perceived  by  his  per 
formance  and  the  build  of  his  body,  that  he  was  athletic, 
and  also  versed  in  boxing.  He  felt  pretty  naked  now, 
recognizing  that  he  was  shorn  of  all,,  respect  except  re 
spect  for  his  fists.  One  night  when  he  entered  his  room 
he  found  about  a  dozen  of  the  young  fellows  there  car 
rying  on  a  very  lively  conversation  punctuated  with 
horse-laughter.  The  talking  ceased  instantly,  and  the 
frank  affront  of  a  dead  silence  followed.  He  said, 

"  Good  evening  gentlemen,"  and  sat  down. 

There  was  no  response.  He  flushed  to  the  temples 
but  forced  himself  to  maintain  silence.  He  sat  there  in 
this  uncomfortable  stillness  some  time,  then  got  up  and 
went  out. 

The  moment  he  had  disappeared  he  heard  a  prodig 
ious  shout  of  laughter  break  forth.  He  saw  that  their 
plain  purpose  had  been  to  insult  him.  He  ascended  to 
the  flat  roof,  hoping  to  be  able  to  cool  down  his  spirit 
there  and  get  back  his  tranquility.  He  found  the 
young  tinner  up  there,  alone  and  brooding,  and  en 
tered  into  conversation  with  him.  They  were  pretty 
fairly  matched,  now,  in  unpopularity  and  general  ill- 
luck  and  misery,  and  they  had  no  trouble  in  meeting 
upon  this  common  ground  with  advantage  and  some 
thing  of  comfort  to  both.  But  Tracy's  movements  had 
been  watched,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  tormentors 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  133 

came  straggling  one  after  another  to  the  roof,  where 
they  began  to  stroll  up  and  down  in  an  apparently 
purposeless  way.  But  presently  they  fell  to  dropping 
remarks  that  were  evidently  aimed  at  Tracy,  and  some 
of  them  at  the  tinner.  The  ringleader  of  this  little  mo!) 
was  a  short-haired  bully  and  amateur  prize-fighter 
named  Allen,  who  was  accustomed  to  lording  it  over 
the  upper  floor,  and  had  more  than  once  shown  a  dis 
position  to  make  trouble  with  Tracy.  Now  there  was 
an  occasional  cat-call,  and  hootings,  and  whistlings, 
and  finally  the  diversion  of  an  exchange  of  connected 
remarks  was  introduced: 

"  How  many  does  it  take  to  make  a  pair  ?  " 

"  Well,  two  generally  makes  a  pair,  but  sometimes 
there  ain't  stuff  enough  in  them  to  make  a  whole  pair." 
General  laugh. 

"What  were  you  saying  about  the  English  a  while 
ago  ? " 

"  Oh,  nothing,  the  English  are  all  right,  only — I— 

"  What  was  it  you  said  about  them  ? " 

"  Oh,  I  only  said  they  swallow  well." 

"  Swallow  better  than  other  people  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  the  English  swallow  a  good  deal  better 
than  other  people." 

"  What  is  it  they  swallow  best  ?  " 

"  Oh,  insults."     Another  general  laugh. 

"  Pretty  hard  to  make  'em  fight,  ain't  it  ?  " 

"  No,  tain't  hard  to  make  'em  fight." 

"  Ain't  it,  really?" 

"No,  tain't  hard.     It's  impossible."     Another  laugh 

"  This  one's  kind  of  spiritless,  that's  certain." 

"  Couldn't  be  the  other  way — in  his  case." 


134 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


"Why?" 

"  Don't  you  know  the  secret  of  his  birth  ?  " 

"  No  !  has  he  got  a  secret  of  his  birth  ? " 

"You  bet  he  has." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  His  father  was  a  wax-figger." 

Allen  came  strolling  by  where  the  pair  were  sitting; 
stopped,  and  said  to  the  tinner  ; 

"  How  are  you  off  for  friends,  these  days  ?  " 

"  Well  enough  off." 

"  Got  a  good  many  ?  " 

"  Well,  as  many  as  I  need." 

"  A  friend  is  valuable,  sometimes — as  a  protector, 
you  know.  What  do  you  reckon  would  happen  if  I 
was  to  snatch  your  cap  off  and  slap  you  in  the  face 
with  it  ? " 

"  Please  don't  trouble  me,  Mr.  Allen,  I  ain't  doing 
anything  to  you." 

"  You  answer  me  !  What  do  you  reckon  would 
happen  ?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  know." 

Tracy  spoke  up  with  a  good  deal  of  deliberation  and 
said, 

"  Don't  trouble  the  young  fellow,  I  can  tell  you  what 
would  happen." 

"  Oh,  you  can,  can  you  ?  Boys,  Johnny  Bull  can  tell 
us  what  would  happen  if  I  was  to  snatch  this  chump's 
cap  off  and  slap  him  in  the  face  with  it.  Now  you'll 
see." 

He  snatched  the  cap  and  struck  the  youth  in  the 
face,  and  before  he  could  inquire  what  was  going  to 
happen,  it  had  already  happened,  and  he  was  warming 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


135 


the  tin  with  the  broad  of  his  back.  Instantly  there 
was  a  rush,  and  shouts  of  "  A  ring,  a  ring,  make  a 
ring !  Fair  play  all  round  !  Johnny's  grit  ;  give  him  a 
chance." 

The  ring  was  quickly  chalked  on  the  tin,  and  Tracy 
found  himself  as  eager  to  begin  as  he  could  have  been 


"IT    HAD   ALREADY    HAPPENED." 

if  his  antagonist  had  been  a  prince  instead  of  a  me 
chanic.  At  bottom  he  was  a  little  surprised  at  this, 
because  although  his  theories  had  been  all  in  that  di 
rection  for  some  time,  he  was  not  prepared  to  find  him 
self  actually  eager  to  measure  strength  with  quite  so 
common  a  man  as  this  ruffian.  In  a  moment  all  the 


I  36  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

windows  in  the  neighborhood  were  filled  with  people, 
and  the  roofs  also.  The  men  squared  off,  and  the  fight 
began.  But  Allen  stood  no  chance  whatever,  against 
the  young  Englishman.  Neither  in  muscle  nor  in 
science  was  he  his  equal.  He  measured  his  length  on 
the  tin  time  and  again  ;  in  fact,  as  fast  as  he  could  get 
up  he  went  down  again,  and  the  applause  was  kept  up 
in  liberal  fashion  from  all  the  neighborhood  around. 
Finally,  Allen  had  to  be  helped  up.  Then  Tracy  de 
clined  to  punish  him  further  and  the  fight  was  at  an 
end.  Allen  was  carried  off  by  some  of  his  friends  in  a 
very  much  humbled  condition,  his  face  black  and  blue 
and  bleeding,  and  Tracy  was  at  once  surrounded  by 
the  young  fellows,  who  congratulated  him,  and  told 
him  that  he  had  done  the  whole  house  a  service,  and 
that  from  this  out  Mr.  Allen  would  be  a  little  more 
particular  about  how  he  handled  slights  and  insults 
and  maltreatment  around  amongst  the  boarders. 

Tracy  was  a  hero  now,  and  exceedingly  popular. 
Perhaps  nobody  had  ever  been  quite  so  popular  on 
that  upper  floor  before.  But  if  being  discountenanced 
by  these  young  fellows  had  been  hard  to  bear,  their  lav 
ish  commendations  and  approval  and  hero-worship  was 
harder  still  to  endure.  He  felt  degraded,  but  he  did  not 
allow  himself  to  analyze  the  reasons  why,  too  closely. 
He  was  content  to  satisfy  himself  with  the  suggestion 
that  he  looked  upon  himself  as  degraded  by  the  public 
spectacle  which  he  had  made  of  himself,  fighting  on  a  tin 
roof,  for  the  delectation  of  everybody  a  block  or  two 
around.  But  he  wasn't  entirely  satisfied  with  that  ex 
planation  of  it.  Once  he  went  a  little  too  far  and  wrote 
in  his  diary  that  his  case  was  worse  than  that  of  the 


THE  A  MERICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  137 

prodigal  son.  He  said  the  prodigal  son  merely  fed 
swine,  he  didn't  have  to  chum  with  them.  But  he 
struck  that  out,  and  said  "  All  men  are  equal.  I  will 
not  disown  my  principles.  These  men  are  as  good  as 
I  am." 

Tracy  was  become  popular  on  the  lower  floors  also. 
Everybody  was  grateful  for  Allen's  reduction  to  the 
ranks,  and  for  his  transformation  from  a  doer  of  out 
rages  to  a  mere  threatener  of  them.  The  young  girls, 
of  whom  there  were  half  a  dozen,  showed  many  atten 
tions  to  Tracy,  particularly  that  boarding  house  pet 
Hattie,  the  landlady's  daughter.  She  said  to  him,  very 
sweetly,— 

"  I  think  you're  ever  so  nice."  And  when  he  said, 
"I'm  glad  you  think  so,  Miss  Hattie,"  she  said,  still 
more  sweetly,— 

"  Don't  call  me  Miss  Hattie — call  me  Puss." 

Ah,  here  was  promotion  !  He  had  struck  the  sum 
mit.  There  were  no  higher  heights  to  climb  in  that 
boarding  house.  His  popularity  was  complete. 

In  the  presence  of  people,  Tracy  showed  a  tranquil 
outside,  but  his  heart  was  being  eaten  out  of  him  by 
distress  and  despair. 

In  a  little  while  he  should  be  out  of  money,  and  then 
what  should  he  do  ?  He  wished,  now,  that  he  had  bor 
rowed  a  little  more  liberally  from  that  stranger's  store. 
He  found  it  impossible  to  sleep.  A  single  torturing, 
terrifying  thought  went  racking  round  and  round  in  his 
head,  wearing  a  groove  in  his  brain:  What  should  he 
do — What  was  to  become  of  him  ?  And  along  with  it 
began  to  intrude  a  something  presently  which  was  very 
like  a  wish  that  he  had  not  joined  the  great  and  noble 


138  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

ranks  of  martyrdom,  but  had  stayed  at  home  and  been 
content  to  be  merely  an  earl  and  nothing  better,  with 
nothing  more  to  do  in  this  world  of  a  useful  sort  than 
an  earl  finds  to  do.  But  he  smothered  that  part  of  his 
thought  as  well  as  he  could;  he  made  every  effort  to 
drive  it  away,  and  with  fair  success,  but  he  couldn't 
keep  it  from  intruding  a  little  now  and  then,  and  when 
it  intruded  it  came  suddenly  and  nipped  him  like  a  bite, 
a  sting,  a  burnk  He  recognized  that  thought  by  the 
peculiar  sharpness  of  its  pang.  The  others  were  pain 
ful  enough,  but  that  one  cut  to  the  quick  when  it  came. 
Night  after  night  he  lay  tossing  to  the  music  of  the 
hideous  snoring  of  the  honest  bread-winners  until  two 
and  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  then  got  up  and  took 
refuge  on  the  roof,  where  he  sometimes  got  a  nap  and 
sometimes  failed  entirely.  His  appetite  was  leaving 
him  and  the  zest  of  life  was  going  along  with  it.  Final 
ly,  one  day,  being  near  the  imminent  verge  of  total  dis 
couragement,  he  said  to  himself — and  took  occasion  to 
blush  privately  when  he  said  it,  "If  my  father  knew 
what  my  American  name  is, — he — well,  my  duty  to  my 
father  rather  requires  that  I  furnish  him  my  name.  I 
have  no  right  to  make  his  days  and  nights  unhappy,  I 
can  do  enough  unhappiness  for  the  family  all  by  my 
self.  Really  he  ought  to  know  what  my  American 
name  is."  He  thought  over  it  a  while  and  framed  a 
cablegram  in  his  mind  to  this  effect: 

"  My  American  name  is  Howard  Tracy." 

That  wouldn't  be  suggesting  anything.     His  father 

could  understand  that  as  he  chose,  and  doubtless  he 

would  understand  it  as  it  was  meant,  as  a  dutiful  and 

affectionate  desire  on  the  part  of  a  son  to  make  his  old 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


father  happy  for  a  moment.  Continuing  his  train  of 
thought,  Tracy  said  to  himself,  "  Ah,  but  if  he  should 
cable  me  to  come  home  !  I — I — couldn't  do  that — I 
mustn't  do  that.  I've  started  out  on  a  mission,  and  I 
mustn't  turn  my  back  on  it  in  cowardice.  No,  no,  I 
couldn't  go  home,  at — at — least  I  shouldn't  want  to  go 
home."  After  a  reflective  pause:  "  Well,  maybe — per 
haps — it  would  be  my  duty  to  go  in  the  circumstances; 
he's  very  old  and  he  does  need  me  by  him  to  stay  his 
footsteps  down  the  long  hill  that  inclines  westward 
toward  the  sunset  of  his  life.  Well,  I'll  think  about  that. 
Yes,  of  course  it  wouldn't  be  right  to  stay  here.  I— 
if  I — well,  perhaps  I  could  just  drop  him  a  line  and  put 
it  off  a  little  while  and  satisfy  him  in  that  way.  It  would 
be — well,  it  would  mar  everything  to  have  him  require 
me  to  come  instantly."  Another  reflective  pause — then: 
"  And  yet  if  he  should  do  that  I  don't  know  but — oh, 
dear  me — home  !  how  good  it  sounds  !  and  a  body  is 
excusable  for  wanting  to  see  his  home  again,  now  and 
then,  anyway." 

He  went  to  one  of  the  telegraph  offices  in  the  avenue 
and  got  the  first  end  of  what  Barrow  called  the  "usual 
Washington  courtesy,"  where  "they  treat  you  as  a 
tramp  until  they  find  out  you're  a  congressman,  and 
then  they  slobber  all  over  you."  There  was  a  boy  of 
seventeen  on  duty  there,  tying  his  shoe.  He  had  his 
foot  on  a  chair  and  his  back  turned  towards  the  wicket. 
He  glanced  over  his  shoulder,  took  Tracy's  measure, 
turned  back,  and  went  on  tying  his  shoe.  Tracy  fin 
ished  writing  his  telegram  and  waited,  still  waited,  and 
still  waited,  for  that  performance  to  finish,  but  there 
didn't  seem  to  be  any  finish  to  it;  so  finally  Tracy  said: 


140  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"  Can't  you  take  my  telegram  ?  " 

The  youth  looked  over  his  shoulder  and  said,  by  his 
manner,  not  his  words: 

"  Don't  you  think  you  could  wait  a  minute,  if  you 
tried  ? " 

However,  he  got  the  shoe  tied  at  last,  and  came  and 
took  the  telegram,  glanced  over  it,  then  looked  up  sur 
prised,  at  Tracy.  There  was  something  in  his  look  that 
bordered  upon  respect,  almost  reverence,  it  seemed  to 
Tracy,  although  he  had  been  so  long  without  any 
thing  of  this  kind  he  was  not  sure  that  he  knew  the 
signs  of  it. 

The  boy  read  the  address  aloud,  with  pleased  ex 
pression  in  face  and  voice. 

11  The  Earl  of  Rossmore  !  Cracky!  Do  you  know 
him  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  Is  that  so  !     Does  he  know  you  ? " 

«  Well— yes." 

"  Well,  I  swear  !     Will  he  answer  you  ?  " 

"I  think  he  will." 

"  Will  he  though  ?     Where'll  you  have  it  sent  ? " 

"  Oh,  nowhere.  I'll  call  here  and  get  it.  When 
shall  I  call?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know — I'll  send  it  to  you.  Where 
shall  I  send  it?  Give  me  your  address;  I'll  send  it 
to  you  soon's  it  comes." 

But  Tracy  didn't  propose  to  do  this.  He  had  ac 
quired  the  boy's  admiration  and  deferential  respect, 
and  he  wasn't  willing  to  throw  these  precious  things 
away,  a  result  sure  to  follow  if  he  should  give  the  ad 
dress  of  that  boarding  house.  So  he  said  again  that 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  \  \\ 

he    would    call    and   get  the   telegram,  and   went  his 
way. 

He  idled  along,  reflecting.  He  said  to  himself, 
"There  is  something  pleasant  about  being  respected. 
I  have  acquired  the  respect  of  Mr.  Allen  and  some  of 
those  others,  and  almost  the  deference  of  some  of  them 
on  pure  merit,  for  having  thrashed  Allen.  While 
their  respect  and  their  deference — if  it  is  deference — is 
pleasant,  a  deference  based  upon  a  sham,  a  shadow, 
does  really  seem  pleasanter  still.  It's  no  real  merit  to 
be  in  correspondence  with  an  earl,  and  yet  after  all, 
that  boy  makes  me  feel  as  if  there  was." 

The  cablegram  was  actually  gone  home !  the 
thought  of  it  gave  him  an  immense  uplift.  He  walked 
with  a  lighter  tread.  His  heart  was  full  of  happiness. 
He  threw  aside  all  hesitances  and  confessed  to  himself 
that  he  was  glad  through  and  through  that  he  was  go 
ing  to  give  up  this  experiment  and  go  back  to  his 
home  again.  His  eagerness  to  get  his  father's  answer 
began  to  grow,  now,  and  it  grew  with  marvelous  ce 
lerity,  after  it  began.  He  waited  an  hour,  walking 
about,  putting  in  his  time  as  well  as  he  could,  but  in 
terested  in  nothing  that  came  under  his  eye,  and  at 
last  he  presented  himself  at  the  office  again  and  asked 
if  any  answer  had  come  yet.  The  boy  said, 

"No,  no  answer  yet,"  then  glanced  at  the  clock 
and  added,  "I  don't  think  it's  likely  you'll  get  one 
to-day." 

"  Why  not  ?" 

"  Well,  you  see  it's  getting  pretty  late.  You  can't 
always  tell  where  'bouts  a  man  is  when  he's  on  the 
other  side,  and  you  can't  always  find  him  just  the 


142  THE  A  ME  RICA  A7  CLAIMANT. 

minute  you  want  him,  and  you  see  it's  getting  about 
six  o'clock  now,  and  over  there  it's  pretty  late  at 
night." 

"Why  yes,"  said  Tracy,  "I  hadn't  thought  of 
that." 

"  Yes,  pretty  late,  now,  half  past  ten  or  eleven.  Oh 
yes,  you  probably  won't  get  any  answer  to-night." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

So  Tracy  went  home  to  supper.  The  odors  in  that 
supper  room  seemed  more  strenuous  and  more  horri 
ble  than  ever  before,  and  he  was  happy  in  the  thought 
that  he  was  so  soon  to  be  free  from  them  again. 
When  the  supper  was  over  he  hardly  knew  whether 
he  had  eaten  any  of  it  or  not,  and  he  certainly  hadn't 
heard  any  of  the  conversation.  His  heart  had  been 
dancing  all  the  time,  his  thoughts  had  been  far  away 
from  these  things,  and  in  the  visions  of  his  mind  the 
sumptuous  appointments  of  his  father's  castle  had  risen 
before  him  without  rebuke.  Even  the  plushed  flunkey, 
that  walking  symbol  of  a  sham  inequality,  had  not 
been  unpleasant  to  his  dreaming  view.  After  the 
meal  Barrow  said, — 

"  Come  with  me.     I'll  give  you  a  jolly  evening." 

"  Very  good.     Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  To  my  club." 

-What  club  is  that?" 

"  Mechanics'  Debating  Club." 

Tracy  shuddered,  slightly.  He  didn't  say  anything 
about  having  visited  that  place  himself.  Somehow  he 
didn't  quite  relish  the  memory  of  that  time.  The 
sentiments  which  had  made  his  former  visit  there  so 
enjoyable,  and  filled  him  with  such  enthusiasm,  had 
undergone  a  gradual  change,  and  they  had  rotted  away 

143 


144 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


to  such  a  degree  that  he  couldn't  contemplate  another 
visit  there  with  anything  strongly  resembling  delight. 
In  fact  he  was  a  little  ashamed  to  go;  he  didn't  want 


"HIS    THOUGHTS    HAD    BEEN    FAR   AWAY    FROM    THESE   THINGS." 

to  go  there  and  find  out  by  the  rude  impact  of  the 
thought  of  those  people  upon  his  reorganized  con 
dition  of  mind,  how  sharp  the  change  had  been.  He 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  145 

would  have  preferred  to  stay  away.  He  expected  that 
now  he  should  hear  nothing  except  sentiments  which 
would  be  a  reproach  to  him  in  his  changed  mental  at 
titude,  and  he  rather  wished  he  might  be  excused. 
And  yet  he  didn't  quite  want  to  say  that,  he  didn't 
want  to  show  how  he  did  feel,  or  show  any  disinclina 
tion  to  go,  and  so  he  forced  himself  to  go  along  with 
Barrow,  privately  purposing  to  take  an  early  op 
portunity  to  get  away. 

After  the  essayist  of  the  evening  had  read  his  paper, 
the  chairman  announced  that  the  debate  would  now 
be  upon  the  subject  of  the  previous  meeting,  "The 
American  Press."  It  saddened  the  back-sliding  dis 
ciple  to  hear  this  announcement.  It  brought  up  too 
many  reminiscences.  He  wished  he  had  happened 
upon  some  other  subject.  But  the  debate  began,  and 
he  sat  still  and  listened. 

In  the  course  of  the  discussion  one  of  the  speakers 
— a  blacksmith  named  Tompkins — arraigned  all  mon- 
archs  and  all  lords  in  the  earth  for  their  cold  selfish 
ness  in  retaining  their  unearned  dignities.  He  said  that 
no  monarch  and  no  son  of  a  monarch,  no  lord  and  no 
son  of  a  lord  ought  to  be  able  to  look  his  fellow  man 
in  the  face  without  shame.  Shame  for  consenting  to 
keep  his  unearned  titles,  property,  and  privileges  at 
the  expense  of  other  people;  shame  for  consenting  to 
remain,  on  any  terms,  in  dishonourable  possession  of 
these  things,  which  represented  bygone  robberies  and 
wrongs  inflicted  upon  the  general  people  of  the  nation. 
He  said,  "if  there  were  a  lord  or  the  son  of 'a  lord 
here,  I  would  like  to  reason  with  him,  and  try  to  show 
him  how  unfair  and  how  selfish  his  position  is.  I 


I  ,|6  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

would  try  to  persuade  him  to  relinquish  it,  take  his 
place  among  men  on  equal  terms,  earn  the  bread  he 
cats,  and  hold  of  slight  value  all  deference  paid  him 
because  of  artificial  position,  all  reverence  not  the  just 
due  of  his  own  personal  merits." 

Tracy  seemed  to  be  listening  to  utterances  of  his 
own  made  in  talks  with  his  radical  friends  in  England. 
It  was  as  if  some  eavesdropping  phonograph  had 
treasured  up  his  words  and  brought  them  across  the 
Atlantic  to  accuse  him  with  them  in  the  hour  of  his 
defection  and  retreat.  Every  word  spoken  by  this 
stranger  seemed  to  leave  a  blister  on  Tracy's  con 
science,  and  by  the  time  the  speech  was  finished  he 
felt  that  he  was  all  conscience  and  one  blister.  This 
man's  deep  compassion  for  the  enslaved  and  oppress 
ed  millions  in  Europe  who  had  to  bear  with  the  con 
tempt  of  that  small  class  above  them,  throned  upon 
shining  heights  whose  paths  were  shut  against  them, 
was  the  very  thing  he  had  often  uttered  himself.  The 
pity  in  this  man's  voice  and  words  was  the  very  twin 
of  the  pity  that  used  to  reside  in  his  own  heart  and 
come  from  his  own  lips  when  he  thought  of  these  op 
pressed  peoples. 

The  homeward  tramp  was  accomplished  in  brood 
ing  silence.  It  was  a  silence  most  grateful  to  Tracy's 
feelings.  He  wouldn't  have  broken  it  for  anything; 
for  he  was  ashamed  of  himself  all  the  way  through  to 
his  spine.  He  kept  saying  to  himself: 

"  How  unanswerable  it  all  is — how  absolutely  un 
answerable  !  It  is  basely,  degradingly  selfish  to  keep 
those  unearned  honors,  and — and — oh,  hang  it,  no 
body  but  a  cur — " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  147 

"  What  an  idiotic  damned  speech  that  Tompkins 
made  !  " 

This  outburst  was  from  Barrow.  It  flooded  Tracy's 
demoralized  soul  with  waters  of  refreshment.  These 
were  the  darlingest  words  the  poor  vacillating  young 
apostate  had  ever  heard — for  they  whitewashed  his 
shame  for  him,  and  that  is  a  good  service  to  have 
when  you  can't  get  the  best  of  all  verdicts,  self-ac 
quittal. 

"  Come  up  to  my  room  and  smoke  a  pipe,  Tracy." 

Tracy  had  been  expecting  this  invitation,  and  had 
had  his  declination  all  ready:  but  he  was  glad  enough 
to  accept,  now.  Was  it  possible  that  a  reasonable 
argument  could  be  made  against  that  man's  desolat 
ing  speech  ?  He  was  burning  to  hear  Barrow  try  it. 
He  knew  how  to  start  him,  and  keep  him  going:  it 
was  to  seem  to  combat  his  positions — a  process  ef 
fective  with  most  people. 

"What  is  it  you  object  to  in  Tompkins's  speech, 
Barrow  ? " 

"Oh,  the  leaving  out  of  the  factor  of  human  nature; 
requiring  another  man  to  do  what  you  wouldn't  do 
yourself." 

"  Do  you  mean — " 

"Why  here's  what  I  mean;  it's  very  simple.  Tomp 
kins  is  a  blacksmith;  has  a  family;  works  for  wages; 
and  hard,  too — fooling  around  won't  furnish  the  bread. 
Suppose  it  should  turn  out  that  by  the  death  of  some 
body  in  England  he  is  suddenly  an  earl — income,  half 
a  million  dollars  a  year.  What  would  he  do  ?  " 

"  Well,  I — I  suppose  he  would  have  to  decline 

"  Man,  he  would  grab  it  in  a  second ! " 


it.' 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


41  Do  you  really  think  he  would  ?  " 

"  Think  ? — I  don't  think  anything  about  it,  I  know 

"Why?" 

"  Why  ?     Because  he's  not  a  fool." 

"  So  you  think  that  if  he  were  a  fool,  he — " 

"No,  I  don't.     Fool  or  no  fool,  he  would    grab  it. 


"FOOL  OR  NO  FOOL,   HE  WOULD  GRAB  IT." 

Anybody  would.  Anybody  that's  alive.  And  I've 
seen  dead  people  that  would  get  up  and  go  for  it.  I 
would  myself." 

This  was  balm,  this  was  healing,  this  was  rest  and 
peace  and  comfort. 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  149 

"  But  I  thought  you  were  opposed  to  nobilities." 

"  Transmissible  ones,  yes.  But  that's  nothing.  I'm 
opposed  to  millionaires,  but  it  would  be  dangerous  tc 
offer  me  the  position." 

"  You'd  take  it  ?  " 

"  I  would  leave  the  funeral  of  my  dearest  enemy  to 
go  and  assume  its  burdens  and  responsibilities." 

Tracy  thought  a  while,  then  said— 

11 1  don't  know  that  I  quite  get  the  bearings  of  your 
position.  You  say  you  are  opposed  to  hereditary 
nobilities,  and  yet  if  you  had  the  chance  you  would— 

"  Take  one  ?  In  a  minute  I  would.  And  there  isn't 
a  mechanic  in  that  entire  club  that  wouldn't.  There 
isn't  a  lawyer,  doctor,  editor,  author,  tinker,  loafer, 
railroad  president,  saint — land,  there  isn't  a  human 
being  in  the  United  States  that  wouldn't  jump  at  the 
chance  !  " 

"  Except  me,"  said  Tracy  softly. 

"  Except  you  !  "  Barrow  could  hardly  get  the 
words  out,  his  scorn  so  choked  him.  And  he  couldn't 
get  any  further  than  that  form  of  words;  it  seemed  to 
dam  his  flow,  utterly.  He  got  up  and  came  and  glar 
ed  upon  Tracy  in  a  kind  of  outraged  and  unappeasable 
way,  and  said  again,  "Except  you!"  He  walked 
around  him, — inspecting  him  from  one  point  of  view 
and  then  another,  and  relieving  his  soul  now  and  then 
by  exploding  that  formula  at  him;  "Except  you!" 
Finally  he  slumped  down  into  his  chair  with  the  air  of 
one  who  gives  it  up,  and  said — 

"  He's  straining  his  viscera  and  he's  breaking  his 
heart  trying  to  get  some  low-down  job  that  a  good 
dog  wouldn't  have,  and  yet  wants  to  let  on  that  if  he 


j  50  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

had  a  chance  to  scoop  an  earldom  he  wouldn't  do  it. 
Tracy,  don't  put  this  kind  of  a  strain  on  me.  Lately 
I'm  not  as  strong  as  I  was." 

"  Well,  I  wasn't  meaning  to  put  a  strain  on  you,  Bar 
row,  I  was  only  meaning  to  intimate  that  if  an  earldom 
ever  does  fall  in  my  way — " 

"There — I  wouldn't  give  myself  any  worry  about 
that,  if  I  was  you.  And  besides,  I  can  settle  what  you 
would  do.  Are  you  any  different  from  me  ? " 

-Well— no." 

"  Are  you  any  better  than  me  ?  " 

"  O, — er — why,  certainly  not." 

"  Are  you  as  good  ?     Come  !  " 

"  Indeed,  I — the  fact  is  you  take  me  so  suddenly, — " 

"Suddenly?  What  is  there  sudden  about  it  ?  It  isn't 
a  difficult  question  is  it  ?  Or  doubtful  ?  Just  measure  us 
on  the  only  fair  lines — the  lines  of  merit — and  of  course 
you'll  admit  that  a  journeyman  chair-maker  that  earns 
his  twenty  dollars  a  week,  and  has  had  the  good  and 
genuine  culture  of  contact  with  men,  and  care,  and 
hardship,  and  failure,  and  success,  and  downs  and  ups 
and  ups  and  downs,  is  just  a  trifle  the  superior  of  a 
young  fellow  like  you,  who  doesn't  know  how  to  do 
anything  that's  valuable,  can't  earn  his  living  in  any 
secure  and  steady  way,  hasn't  had  any  experience  of 
life  and  its  seriousness,  hasn't  any  culture  but  the  arti 
ficial  culture  of  books,  which  adorns  but  doesn't  really 
educate — come!  if /wouldn't  scorn  an  earldom,  what 
the  devil  right  have  you  to  do  it !  " 

Tracy  dissembled  his  joy,  though  he  wanted  to  thank 
the  chair-maker  for  that  last  remark.  Presently  a 
thought  struck  him,  and  he  spoke  up  briskly  and  said: 


THE  A  ME  RICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  \^\ 

"  But  lock  here,  I  really  can't  quite  get  the  hang  of 
your  notions — your  principles,  if  they  are  principles. 
You  are  inconsistent.  You  are  opposed  to  aristocracies, 
yet  you'd  take  an  earldom  if  you  could.  Am  I  to 
understand  that  you  don't  blame  an  earl  for  being  and 
remaining  an  earl  ?  " 

"  I  certainly  don't." 

"  And  you  wouldn't  blame  Tompkins,  or  yourself,  or 
me,  or  anybody,  for  accepting  an  earldom  if  it  was 
offered  ? " 

"  Indeed  I  wouldn't." 

"  Well,  then,  who  would  you  blame  ?  " 

"  The  whole  nation — any  bulk  and  mass  of  popula 
tion  anywhere,  in  any  country,  that  will  put  up  with 
the  infamy,  the  outrage,  the  insult  of  a  hereditary  aris 
tocracy  which  they  can't  enter — and  on  absolutely  free 
and  equal  terms." 

"  Come,  aren't  you  beclouding  yourself  with  distinc 
tions  that  are  not  differences  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  am  not.  I  am  entirely  clear-headed  about 
this  thing.  If  I  could  extirpate  an  aristocratic  system 
by  declining  its  honors,  then  I  should  be  a  rascal  to  ac 
cept  them.  And  if  enough  of  the  mass  would  join  me 
to  make  the  extirpation  possible,  then  I  should  be  a 
rascal  to  do  otherwise  than  help  in  the  attempt." 

"  I  believe  I  understand — yes,  I  think  I  get  the  idea. 
You  have  no  blame  for  the  lucky  few  who  naturally 
decline  to  vacate  the  pleasant  nest  they  were  born  into, 
you  only  despise  the  all-powerful  and  stupid  mass  of 
the  nation  for  allowing  the  nest  to  exist." 

"That's  it,  that's  it!  You  can  get  a  simple  thing 
through  your  head  if  you  work  at  it  long  enough." 


152  7  'HE  A  MERICA  N  CLA  IMA  N  T. 

"  Thanks." 

"  Don't  mention  it.  And  I'll  give  you  some  sound 
advice:  when  you  go  back,  if  you  find  your  nation  up 
and  ready  to  abolish  that  hoary  affront,  lend  a  hand; 
but  if  that  isn't  the  state  of  things  and  you  get  a  chance 
at  an  earldom,  don't  you  be  a  fool — you  take  it." 

Tracy  responded  with  earnestness  and  enthusiasm— 

"As  I  live,  I'll  doit!" 

Barrow  laughed. 

"  I  never  saw  such  a  fellow.  I  begin  to  think  you've 
got  a  good  deal  of  imagination.  With  you,  the  idlest 
fancy  freezes  into  a  reality  at  a  breath.  Why,  you 
looked,  then,  as  if  it  wouldn't  astonish  you  if  you  did 
tumble  into  an  earldom."  Tracy  blushed.  Barrow 
added:  ''Earldom!  Oh,  yes,  take  it,  if  it  offers;  but 
meantime  we'll  go  on  looking  around,  in  a  modest  way, 
and  if  you  get  a  chance  to  superintend  a  sausage-stuff- 
er  at  six  or  eight  dollars  a  week,  you  just  trade  off  the 
earldom  for  a  last  year's  almanac  and  stick'  to  the  sau 
sage-stuffing," 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TRACY  went  to  bed  happy  once  more,  at  rest  in  his 
mind  once  more.  He  had  started  out  on  a  high  em 
prise — that  was  to  his  credit,  he  argued;  he  had  fought 
the  best  fight  he  could,  considering  the  odds  against 
him — that  was  to  his  credit;  he  had  been  defeated— 
certainly  there  was  nothing  discreditable  in  that.  Be 
ing  defeated,  he  had  a  right  to  retire  with  the  honors 
of  war  and  go  back  without  prejudice  to  the  position  in 
the  world's  society  to  which  he  had  been  born.  Why 
not  ?  even  the  rabid  republican  chair-maker  would  do 
that.  Yes,  his  conscience  was  comfortable  once  more. 

He  woke  refreshed,  happy,  and  eager  for  his  cable 
gram.  He  had  been  born  an  aristocrat,  he  had  been  a 
democrat  for  a  time,  he  was  now  an  aristocrat  again. 
He  marveled  to  find  that  this  final  change  was  not 
merely  intellectual,  it  had  invaded  his  feeling;  and  he 
also  marveled  to  note  that  this  feeling  seemed  a  good 
deal  less  artificial  than  any  he  had  entertained  in  his 
system  for  a  long  time.  He  could  also  have  noted,  if 
he  had  thought  of  it,  that  his  bearing  had  stiffened, 
over  night,  and  that  his  chin  had  lifted  itself  a  shade. 
Arrived  in  the  basement,  he  was  about  to  enter  the 
breakfast  room  when  he  saw  old  Marsh  in  the  dim 
light  of  a  corner  of  the  hall,  beckoning  him  with  his 
finger  to  approach.  The  blood  welled  slowly  up  in 

153 


154  7  'HE  A  ME  RICA  N  CLA  IMA  N  7 '. 

Tracy's  cheek,  and  he  said  with  a  grade  of  injured  dig 
nity  almost  ducal — 

"Is  that  for  me?"- 

"Yes." 

"  What  is  the  purpose  of  it  ?  " 

"  I  want  to  speak  to  you — in  private." 
'  This  spot  is  private  enough  for  me." 

Marsh  was  surprised;  and  not  particularly  pleased. 
He  approached  and  said— 

"  Oh,  in  public,  then,  if  you  prefer.  Though  it  hasn't 
been  my  way." 

The  boarders  gathered  to  the  spot,  interested. 

"  Speak  out,"  said  Tracy.     "  What  is  it  you  want  ?  " 

(<  Well,  haven't  you — er — forgot  something  ?  " 

"  I  ?     I'm  not  aware  of  it." 

"  Oh,  you're  not  ?  Now  you  stop  and  think,  a  min 
ute." 

"  I  refuse  to  stop  and  think.  It  doesn't  interest  me. 
If  it  interests  you,  speak  out." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Marsh,  raising  his  voice  to  a 
slightly  angry  pitch,  "  You  forgot  to  pay  your  board 
yesterday — if  you're  bound to  have  it  public." 

Oh,  yes,  this  heir  to  an  annual  million  or  so  had  been 
dreaming  and  soaring,  and  had  forgotten  that  pitiful 
three  or  four  dollars.  For  penalty  he  must  have  it 
coarsely  flung  in  his  face  in  the  presence  of  these  people 
—people  in  whose  countenances  was  already  beginning 
to  dawn  an  uncharitable  enjoyment  of  the  situation. 

"  Is  that  all !  Take  your  money  and  give  your  ter 
rors  a  rest." 

Tracy's  hand  went  down  into  his  pocket  with  angry 
decision.  But — it  didn't  come  out.  The  color  began 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  155 

to  ebb  out  of  his  face.  The  countenances  about  him 
showed  a  growing  interest;  and  some  of  them  a  height 
ened  satisfaction.  There  was  an  uncomfortable  pause 
— then  he  forced  out,  with  difficulty,  the  words — 

"  I've — been  robbed  !  " 

Old  Marsh's  eyes  flamed  up  with  Spanish  fire,  and 
he  exclaimed— 

"  Robbed,  is  it  ?  Thafs  your  tune  ?  It's  too  old- 
been  played  in  this  house  too  often;  everybody  plays 
it  that  can't  get  work  when  he  wants  it,  and  won't  work- 
when  he  can  get  it.  Trot  out  Mr.  Allen,  somebody, 
and  let  him  take  a  toot  at  it.  It's  his  turn  next,  he 
forgot,  too,  last  night.  I'm  laying  for  him." 

One  of  the  negro  women  came  scrambling  down 
stairs  as  pale  as  a  sorrel  horse  with  consternation  and 
excitement: 

"  Misto  Marsh,  Misto  Allen's  skipped  out  !  " 

"What!" 

"  Yes-sah,  and  cleaned  out  his  room  clean;  tuck  bofe 
towels  en  de  soap  !  " 

"  You  lie,  you  hussy  !  " 

"  It's  jes'  so,  jes'  as  I  tells  you — en  Misto  Sumner's 
socks  is  gone,  en  Misto  Naylor's  yuther  shirt." 

Mr.  Marsh  was  at  boiling  point  by  this  time.  He 
turned  upon  Tracy— 

"  Answer  up  now — when  are  you  going  to  settle  ?  " 

"  To-day — since  you  seem  to  be  in  a  hurry." 

"  To-day  is  it  ?  Sunday — and  you  out  of  work  ?  I 
like  that.  Come — where  are  you  going  to  get  the 
money  ? " 

Tracy's  spirit  was  rising  again.  He  proposed  to  im 
press  these  people; 


156  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"  I  am  expecting  a  cablegram  from  home." 

Old  Marsh  was  caught  out,  with  the  surprise  of  it. 
The  idea  was  so  immense,  so  extravagant,  that  he 
couldn't  get  his  breath  at  first.  When  he  did  get  it,  it 
came  rancid  with  sarcasm. 

"  A  cablegram — think  of  it,  ladies  and  gents,  he's 
expecting  a  cablegram  !  He  s  expecting  a  cablegram 
—this  duffer,  this  scrub,  this  bilk  !  From  his  father — 
eh  ?  Yes — without  a  doubt.  A  dollar  or  two  a  word 
— oh,  that's  nothing — they  don't  mind  a  little  thing  like 
that — this  kind's  fathers  don't.  Now  his  father  is — er 
—well,  I  reckon  his  father— 

"  My  father  is  an  English  earl  ! " 

The  crowd  fell  back  aghast — aghast  at  the  sublimity 
of  the  young  loafer's  "  cheek."  Then  they  burst  into 
a  laugh  that  made  the  windows  rattle.  Tracy  was  too 
angry  to  realize  that  he  had  done  a  foolish  thing.  He 
said — 

"  Stand  aside,  please.     I— 

"Wait  a  minute,  your  lordship,"  said  Marsh,  bowing 
ing  low,  "  where  is  your  lordship  going  ?  " 

"  For  the  cablegram.     Let  me  pass." 

"  Excuse  me,  your  lordship,  you'll  stay  right  where 
you  are." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  " 

V  I  mean  that  I  didn't  begin  to  keep  boarding-house 
yesterday.  It  means  that  I  am  not  the  kind  that  can 
be  taken  in  by  every  hack-driver's  son  that  comes  loaf 
ing  over  here  because  he  can't  bum  a  living  at  home. 
It  means  that  you  can't  skip  out  on  any  such- 
Tracy  made  a  step  toward  the  old  man,  but  Mrs. 
Marsh  sprang  between,  and  said — 


THE  A  M  ERICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  157 

"  Don't,  Mr.  Tracy,  please."  She  turned  to  her  hus 
band  and  said,  "  Do  bridle  your  tongue.  What  has  he 
done  to  be  treated  so  ?  Can't  you  see  he  has  lost  his 
mind,  with  trouble  and  distress  ?  He's  not  responsible." 

"  Thank  your  kind  heart,  madam,  but  I've  not  lost 
my  mind;  and  if  I  can  have  the  mere  privilege  of  step 
ping  to  the  telegraph  office— 

"Well,  you  can't,"  cried  Marsh. 

" — or  sending — 

"  Sending  !  That  beats  everything.  If  there's  any 
body  that's  fool  enough  to  go  on  such  a  chuckleheaded 
errand— 

"  Here  comes  Mr.  Barrow — he  will  go  for  me.  Bar 
row — 

A  brisk  fire  of  exclamations  broke  out — 

"  Say,  Barrow,  he's  expecting  a  cablegram  !  " 

"  Cablegram  from  his  father,  you  know  !  " 

"  Yes — cablegram  from  the  wax-figger  !  " 

"  And  say,  Barrow,  this  fellow's  an  earl — take  off 
your  hat,  pull  down  your  vest  !  " 

"Yes,  he's  come  off  and  forgot  his  crown,  that  he 
wears  Sundays.  He's  cabled  over  to  his  pappy  to 
send  it." 

"  You  step  out  and  get  that  cablegram,  Barrow;  his 
majesty's  a  little  lame  to-day." 

"Oh  stop,"  cried  Barrow;  "  give  the  man  a  chance." 
He  turned,  and  said  with  some  severity,  "  Tracy, 
what's  the  matter  with  you  ?  What  kind  of  foolishness 
is  this  you've  been  talking.  You  ought  to  have  more 
sense." 

"  I've  not  been  talking  foolishness;  and  if  you'll  go 
to  the  telegraph  office— 


158  'I  'HE  A  M ERICA  N  CLAIM  A  N  T. 

"  Oh,  don't  talk  so.  I'm  your  friend  in  trouble  and 
out  of  it,  before  your  face  and  behind  your  back,  for 
anything  in  reason;  but  you've  lost  your  head,  you  see, 
and  this  moonshine  about  a  cablegram — 

"  /'//  go  there  and  ask  for  it  !  " 

"  Thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  Brady. 
Here,  I'll  give  you  a  written  order  for  it.  Fly,  now, 
and  fetch  it.  We'll  soon  see  !  " 

Brady  flew.  Immediately  the  sort  of  quiet  began  to 
steal  over  the  crowd  which  means  dawning  doubt,  mis 
giving;  and  might  be  translated  into  the  words,  "  May 
be  he  is  expecting  a  cablegram — maybe  he  has  got  a 
father  somewhere — maybe  we've  been  just  a  little  too 
fresh,  just  a  shade  too  '  previous  '  !  "  Loud  talk  ceased; 
then  the  mutterings  and  low  murmurings  and  whisper 
ings  died  out.  The  crowd  began  to  crumble  apart.  By 
ones  and  twos  the  fragments  drifted  to  the  breakfast 
table.  Barrow  tried  to  bring  Tracy  in;  but  he  said — 

"  Not  yet,  Barrow — presently." 

Mrs.  Marsh  and  Hattie  tried,  offering  gentle  and 
kindly  persuasions;  but  he  said; 

"I  would  rather  wait — till  he  comes." 

Even  old  Marsh  began  to  have  suspicions  that  may 
be  he  had  been  a  trifle  too  "brash,"  as  he  called  it  in 
the  privacy  of  his  soul,  and  he  pulled  himself  together 
and  started  toward  Tracy  with  invitation  in  his  eyes; 
but  Tracy  warned  him  off  with  a  gesture  which  was 
quite  positive  and  eloquent.  Then  followed  the  stillest 
quarter  of  an  hour  which  had  ever  been  known  in  that 
house  at  that  time  of  day.  It  was  so  still,  and  so  sol 
emn  withal,  that  when  somebody's  cup  slipped  from 
his  fingers  and  landed  in  his  plate  the  shock  made  peo- 


THE  A  MEKICA  N  CL  A  IMA  N  T.  159 

pie  start,  and  the  sharp  sound  seemed  as  indecorous 
there  and  as  out  of  place  as  if  a  coffin  and  mourn 
ers  were  imminent  and  being  waited  for.  And  at 
last  when  Brady's  feet  came  clattering  down  the 
stairs  the  sacrilege  seemed  unbearable.  Everybody 
rose  softly  and  turned  toward  the  door,  where  stood 
Tracy;  then  with  a  common  impulse,  moved  a  step  or 
two  in  that  direction,  and  stopped.  While  they  gazed, 
young  Brady  arrived,  panting,  and  put  into  Tracy's 
hand, — sure  enough — an  envelope.  Tracy  fastened  a 
bland  victorious  eye  upon  the  gazers,  and  kept  it  there 
till  one  by  one  they  dropped  their  eyes,  vanquished 
and  embarrassed.  Then  he  tore  open  the  telegram 
and  glanced  at  its  message.  The  yellow  paper  fell 
from  his  fingers  and  fluttered  to  the  floor,  and  his 
face  turned  white.  There  was  nothing  there  but  one 
word — 

"  Thanks r 

The  humorist  of  the  house,  the  tall,  raw-boned  Billy 
Nash,  caulker  from  the  navy  yard,  was  standing  in  the 
rear  of  the  crowd.  In  the  midst  of  the  pathetic  silence 
that  was  now  brooding  over  the  place  and  moving 
some  few  hearts  there  toward  compassion,  he  began  to 
whimper,  then  he  put  his  handkerchief  to  his  eyes  and 
buried  his  face  in  the  neck  of  the  bashfulest  young  fel 
low  in  the  company,  a  navy-yard  blacksmith,  shrieked 
"  Oh,  pappy,  how  could  you  \  "  and  began  to  bawl  like 
a  teething  baby,  if  one  may  imagine  a  baby  with  the 
energy  and  the  devastating  voice  of  a  jackass. 

So  perfect  was  the  imitation  of  a  child's  cry,  and  so 
vast  the  scale  of  it,  and  so  ridiculous  the  aspect  of  the 
performer,  that  all  gravity  was  swept  from  the  place  as 


l6o  THE  AM  ERICA  X  CLAIMANT. 

if  by  a  hurricane,  and  almost  everybody  there  joined 
in  the  crash  of  laughter  provoked  by  the  exhibition. 
Then  the  small  mob  began  to  take  its  revenge — re 
venge  for  the  discomfort  and  apprehension  it  had 
brought  upon  itself  by  its  own  too  rash  freshness  of  a 
little  while  before.  It  guyed  its  poor  victim,  baited 
him,  worried  him,  as  dogs  do  with  a  cornered  cat.  The 
victim  answered  back  with  defiances  and  challenges 
which  included  everybody,  and  which  only  gave  the 
sport  new  spirit  and  variety;  but  when  he  changed  his 
tactics  and  began  to  single  out  individuals  and  invite 
them  by  name,  the  fun  lost  its  funniness  and  the  inter 
est  of  the  show  died  out,  along  with  the  noise. 

Finally  Marsh  was  about  to  take  an  innings,  but  Bar 
row  said— 

''Never  mind,  now — leave  him  alone.  You've  no 
account  with  him  but  a  money  account.  I'll  take  care 
of  that  myself." 

The  distressed  and  worried  landlady  gave  Barrow  a 
fervently  grateful  look  for  his  championship  of  the 
abused  stranger  ;  and  the  pet  of  the  house,  a  very  prism 
in  her  cheap  but  ravishing  Sunday  rig,  blew  him  a  kiss 
from  the  tips  of  her  fingers  and  said,  with  the  darlingest 
smile  and  a  sweet  little  toss  of  her  head-^- 

"  You're  the  only  man  here,  and  I'm  going  to  set  my 
cap  for  you,  you  dear  old  thing !  " 

"  For  shame,  Puss!  How  you  talk!  I  never  saw 
such  a  child  !  " 

It  took  a  good  deal  of  argument  and  persuasion— 
that  is  to  say,  petting,  under  these  disguises — to  get 
Tracy  to  entertain  the  idea  of  breakfast.  He  at  first 
said  he  would  never  eat  again  in  that  house;  and  added 


THE  .  I MKKICA  A'  ( 'LA  IMA  NT.  \  6  I 

that  he  had  enough  firmness  of  character,  he  trusted, 
to  enable  him  to  starve  like  a  man  when  the  alternative 
was  to  eat  insult  with  his  bread. 

When  he  had  finished  his  breakfast,  Barrow  took  him 
to  his  room,  furnished  him  a  pipe,  and  said  cheerily— 

11  Now,  old  fellow,  take  in  your  battle-flag  out  of  the 
wet,  you're  not  in  the  hostile  camp  any  more.  You're 
a  little  upset  by  your  troubles,  and  that's  natural  enough, 
but  don't  let  your  mind  run  on  them  anymore  than  you 
can  help  ;  drag  your  thoughts  away  from  your  troubles 
—by  the  ears,  by  the  heels,  or  any  other  way,  so  you 
manage  it  ;  it's  the  healthiest  thing  a  body  can  do  ; 
dwelling  on  troubles  is  deadly,  just  deadly — and  that's 
the  softest  name  there  is  for  it.  You  must  keep  your 
mind  amused — you  must,  indeed." 

"  Oh,  miserable  me  !  " 

"Dont!  There's  just  pure  heart-break  in  that  tone. 
It's  just  as  I  say;  you've  got  to  get  right  down  to  it  and 
amuse  your  mind,  as  if  it  was  salvation." 

"  They're  easy  words  to  say,  Barrow,  but  how  am  I 
going  to  amuse,  entertain,  divert  a  mind  that  finds  itself 
suddenly  assaulted  and  overwhelmed  by  disasters  of  a 
sort  not  dreamed  of  and  not  provided  for  ?  No-no,  the 
bare  idea  of  amusement  is  repulsive  to  my  feelings. 
Let  us  talk  of  death  and  funerals." 

"No — not  yet.  That  would  be  giving  up  the  ship. 
We'll  not  give  up  the  ship  yet.  I'm  going  to  amuse 
you  ;  I  sent  Brady  out  for  the  wherewithal  before  you 
finished  breakfast." 

"You  did?     What  is  it?" 

"Come,  this  is  a  good  sign — curiosity.  Oh,  there's 
hope  for  you  yet." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Brady  arrived  with  a  box,  and  departed,  after  saying — 
"They're  finishing  one  up,  but  they'll   be  along  as 
soon  as  it's  done." 

Barrow  took  a  frameless  oil  portrait  a  foot  square 
from  the  box,  set  it  up  in  a  good  light,  without  com 
ment,  and  reached 
for  another,  taking  a 
furtive  glance  at 
Tracy,  meantime. 
The  stony  solemnity 
in  Tracy's  face  re 
mained  as  it  was,  and 
gave  out  no  sign  of 
interest.  Barrow 
placed  the  second 
portrait  beside  the 
first,  and  stole  anoth 
er  glance  while  reach 
ing  for  a  third.  The 
"NO.  5  STARTED  A  LAUGH."  stone  image  softened, 

a  shade.    No.  3  forced 

the  ghost  of  a  smile,  No.  4  swept  indifference  wholly 
away,  and  No.  5  started  a  laugh  which  was  still  in 
good  and  hearty  condition  when  No.  id.  took  its  place 
in  the  row. 

162 


THE  A MEKICA N  CLA  IMA  NT.  I  6 3 

"Oh, you're  all  right,  yet,"  said  Barrow.  "  You  see 
you're  not  past  amusement." 

The  pictures  were  fearful,  as  to  color,  and  atrocious 
as  to  drawing  and  expression;  but  the  feature  which 
squelched  animosity  and  made  them  funny  was  a  feature 
which  could  not  achieve  its  full  force  in  a  single  picture, 
but  required  the  wonder-working  assistance  of  repeti 
tion.  One  loudly  dressed  mechanic  in  stately  attitude, 
with  his  hand  on  a  cannon,  ashore,  and  a  ship  riding  at 
anchor  in  the  offing, — this  is  merely  odd  ;  but  when 
one  sees  the  same  cannon  and  the  same  ship  in  fourteen 
pictures  in  a  row,  and  a  different  mechanic  standing 
watch  in  each, -the  thing  gets  to  be  funny. 

"  Explain — explain  these  aberrations,"   said   Tracy. 

"  Well,  they  are  not  the  achievement  of  a  single  in 
tellect,  a  single  talent — it  takes  two  to  do  these  miracles. 
They  are  collaborations  ;  the  one  artist  does  the  figure, 
the  other  the  accessories.  The  figure-artist  is  a  German 
shoemaker  with  an  untaught  passion  for  art,  the  other 
is  a  simple  hearted  old  Yankee  sailor-man  whose  pos 
sibilities  are  strictly  limited  to  his  ship,  his  cannon  and 
his  patch  of  petrified  sea.  They  work  these  things  up 
from  twenty-five-cent  tintypes;  they  get  six  dollars 
apiece  for  them,  and  they  can 'grind  out  a  couple  a  day 
when  they  strike  what  they  call  a  boost — that  is,  an 
inspiration." 

"People  actually  pay  money  for   these  calumnies  ?" 

"They  actually  do — and  quite  willingly,  too.  And 
these  abortionists  could  double  their  trade  and  work 
the  women  in,  if  Capt.  Saltmarsh  could  whirl  a  horse 
in,  or  a  piano,  or  a  guitar,  in  place  of  his  cannon.  The 
fact  is,  he  fatigues  the  market  with  that  cannon.  Even 


164  ^H&  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

the  male  market,  I  mean.  These  fourteen  in  the  pro 
cession  are  not  all  satisfied.  One  is  an  old  "  indepen 
dent"  fireman,  and  he  wants  an  engine  in  place  of  the 
cannon;  another  is  a  mate  of  a  tug,  and  wants  a  tug  in 
place  of  the  ship — and  so  on,  and  so  on.  But  the  cap 
tain  can't  make  a  tug  that  is  deceptive,  and  a  fire  en 
gine  is  many  flights  beyond  his  power." 

"  This  is  a  most  extraordinary  form  of  robbery, 
I  never  have  heard  of  anything  like  it.  It's  inter 
esting." 

"  Yes,  and  so  are  the  artists.  They  are  perfectly 
honest  men,  and  sincere.  And  the  old  sailor-man  is 
full  of  sound  religion,  and  is  as  devoted  a  student  of 
the  Bible  and  misquoter  of  it  as  you  can  find  any 
where.  I  don't  know  a  better  man  or  kinder  hearted 
old  soul  than  Saltmarsh,  although  he  does  swear  a 
little,  sometimes." 

"  He  seems  to  be  perfect.  I  want  to  know  him, 
Barrow." 

"  You'll  have  the  chance.  I  guess  I  hear  them 
coming,  now.  We'll  draw  them  out  on  their  art,  if 
you  like." 

The  artists  arrived  and  shook  hands  with  great 
heartiness.  The  German  was  forty  and  a  little  fleshy, 
with  a  shiny  bald  head  and  a  kindly  face  and  deferential 
manner.  Capt.  Saltmarsh  was  sixty,  tall,  erect,  pow 
erfully  built,  with  coal-black  hair  and  whiskers,  and  he 
had  a  well  tanned  complexion,  and  a  gait  and  counte 
nance  that  were  full  of  command,  confidence  and  de 
cision.  His  horny  hands  and  wrists  were  covered  with 
tattoo-marks,  and  when  his  lips  parted,  his  teeth  show 
ed  up  white  and  blemishless.  His  voice  was  the  effort- 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


165 


less  deep  bass  of  a  church  organ,  and    would   disturb 
the  tranquility  of  a  gas  flame  fifty  yards  away. 

"  They're  wonderful  pictures,"  said  Barrow.  "  We've 
been  examining  them." 

"  It  is  very  bleasant  dot  you  like  dem,"  said  Handel, 
the  German,  greatly  pleased.  "  Und  yow,  Herr  Tracy, 
you  haf  peen  bleased  mit  dem  too,  alretty  ?  " 

"  I  can  honestly  say  I 
have  never  seen  anything 
just  like  them  before." 

"  Schon  !  "    cried    the 
German,  delighted.    "You 
hear,  Gaptain  ? 
Here  is  a  chen- 
tleman,     yes, 
vot   abbreciate 
unser  aart." 

The  captain 
was  charmed, 
and  said  : 

"Well,  sir  ,  we're 
thankful  for  a  compli 
ment  yet,  though 
they're  not  as  scarce 
now  as  they  used  to  be 
before  we  made  a  repu 
tation." 

"Getting  the  reputation  is  the  up-hill  time  in  most 
things,  captain." 

%k  It's  so.  It  ain't  enough  to  know  how  to  reef  a 
gasket,  you  got  to  make  the  mate  know  you  know  it. 
That's  reputation.  The  good  word,  said  at  the  right 


CAPT.    SALTMARiH    AND    BROTHER 
OF   THE    BRUSH. 


1 66  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

time,  that's  the  word  that  makes  us  ;  and  evil  be  to 
him  that  evil  thinks,  as  Isaiah  says." 

44  It's  very  relevant,  and  hits  the  point  exactly,"  said 
Tracy. 

44  Where  did  you  study  art,  Captain  ? " 

44 1  haven't  studied;  it's  a  natural  gift." 

44  He  is  born  mit  dose  cannon  in  him.  He  tondt 
haf  to  do  noding,  his  chenius  do  all  de  vork.  Of  he  is 
asleep,  und  take  a  pencil  in  his  hand,  out  come  a  can 
non.  Py  crashus,  of  he  could  do  a  clavier,  of  he  could 
do  a  guitar,  of  he  could  do  a  vashtub,  it  is  a  fortune, 
heiliger  Yohanniss  it  is  yoost  a  fortune  !  " 

44  Well,  it  is  an  immense  pity  that  the  business  is 
hindered  and  limited  in  this  unfortunate  way." 

The  captain  grew  a  trifle  excited,  himself,  now— 

44  You've  said  it,  Mr.  Tracy  !  Hindered  ?  well,  I 
should  say  so.  Why,  look  here.  This  fellow  here,  No. 
11,  he's  a  hackman, — a  flourishing  hackman,  I  may  say. 
He  wants  his  hack  in  this  picture.  Wants  it  where  the 
cannon  is.  I  got  around  that  difficulty,  by  telling  him 
the  cannon's  our  trademark,  so  to  speak — proves  that 
the  picture's  our  work,  and  I  was  afraid  if  we  left  it  out 
people  wouldn't  know  for  certain  if  it  was  a  Salt- 
marsh-Handel- — now  you  wouldn't  yourself— 

44  What,  Captain  ?  You  wrong  yourself,  indeed  you 
do.  Anyone  who  has  once  seen  a  genuine  Saltmarsh- 
Handel  is  safe  from  imposture  forever.  Strip  it,  flay  it, 
skin  it  out  of  every  detail  but  the  bare  color  and  ex 
pression,  and  that  man  will  still  recognize  it,  still  stop 
to  worship — 

44  Oh,  how  it  makes  me  feel  to  hear  dose  expres 
sions  ! — " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT,  l6/ 

—"still  say  to  himself  again  as  he  had  said  a  hun 
dred  times  before,  the  art  of  the  Saltmarsh-Handel  is 
an  art  apart,  there  is  nothing  in  the  heavens  above  or 
in  the  earth  beneath  that  resembles  it,— 

"  Py  chiminy,  nur  horen  Sie  einmal  !  In  my  lifeday 
haf  I  never  heard  so  brecious  worts." 

"  So  I  talked  him  out  of  the  hack,  Mr.  Tracy,  and  he 
let  up  on  that,  and  said  put  in  a  hearse,  then — because 
he's  chief  mate  of  a  hearse  but  don't  own  it — stands  a 
watch  for  wages,  you  know.  But  I  can't  do  a  hearse  any 
more  than  I  can  a  hack  ;  so  here  we  are — becalmed, 
you  see.  And  it's  the  same  with  women  and  such. 
They  come  and  they  want  a  little  johnry  picture — 

"  It's  the  accessories  that  make  it  a  genre  ?" 

"Yes — cannon,  or  cat,  or  any  little  thing  like  that, 
that  you  heave  in  to  whoop  up  the  effect.  We  could 
do  a  prodigious  trade  with  the  women  if  we  could  fore 
ground  the  things  they  like,  but  they  don't  give  a  damn 
for  artillery.  Mine's  the  lack,"  continued  the  captain 
with  a  sigh,  "  Andy's  end  of  the  business  is  all  right — 
I  tell  you  he  s  an  artist  from  wayback  !  " 

"  Yoost  hear  dot  old  .man  !  He  always  talk  'poud 
me  like  dot,"  purred  the  pleased  German. 

"  Look  at  his  work  yourself!  Fourteen  portraits  in 
a  row.  And  no  two  of  them  alike." 

"Now  that  you  speak  of  it,  it  is  true;  I  hadn't 
noticed  it  before.  It  is  very  remarkable.  Unique,  I 
suppose." 

"  I  should  say  so.  That's  the  very  thing  about 
Andy — he  discriminates.  Discrimination's  the  thief  of 
time — forty-ninth  Psalm;  but  that  ain't  any  matter, 
it's  the  honest  thing,  and  it  pays  in  the  end." 


l68  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"  Yes,  he  certainly  is  great  in  that  feature,  one  is 
obliged  to  admit  it;  but — now  mind,  I'm  not  really 
criticising — don't  you  think,  he  is  just  a  trifle  over- 
strong  in  technique  ? " 

The  captain's  face  was  knocked  expressionless  by 
this  remark.  It  remained  quite  vacant  while  he 
muttered  to  himself — ''Technique — technique — poly- 
technique — pyro-technique  ;  that's  it,  likely — fireworks 
— too  much  color."  Then  he  spoke  up  with  serenity 
and  confidence,  and  said— 

"Well,  yes,  he  does  pile  it  on  pretty  loud;  but  they 
all  like  it,  you  know — fact  is,  it's  the  life  of  the  business. 
Take  that  No.  9,  there,  Evans  the  butcher.  He  drops 
into  the  stoodio  as  sober-colored  as  anything  you  ever 
see:  now  look  at  him.  You  can't  tell  him  from  scarlet 
fever.  Well,  it  pleases  that  butcher  to  death.  I'm 
making  a  study  of  a  sausage-wreath  to  hang  on  the  can 
non,  and  I  don't  really  reckon  I  can  do  it  right,  but  if 
I  can,  we  can  break  the  butcher." 

"Unquestionably  your  confederate — I  mean  your — 
your  fellowcraftsman — is  a  great  colorist — 

"Oh,  danke  schon  !— " 

— "  in  fact  a  quite  extraordinary  colorist;  a  colorist, 
I  make  bold  to  say,  without  imitator  here  or  abroad — 
and  with  a  most  bold  and  effective  touch,  a  touch  like 
a  battering  ram ;  and  a  manner  so  peculiar  and  romantic, 
and  extraneous,  and  ad  libitum,  and  heart-searching, 
that — that — he — he  is  an  impressionist,  I  presume  ?  " 

"No,"  said  the  captain  simply,  "he  is  a  Presbyte 
rian." 

"  It  accounts  for  it  all — all — there's  something  divine 
about  his  art, — soulful,  unsatisfactory,  yearning,  dim- 


THE   AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  169 

hearkening  on  the  void  horizon,  vague-murmuring  to 
the  spirit  out  of  ultra-marine  distances  and  far-sound 
ing  cataclysms  of  uncreated  space — oh,  if  he — if  he- 
has  he  ever  tried  distemper  ?  " 

The  captain  answered  up  with  energy— 
'  "  Not  if  he  knows  himself!    But  his  dog  has,  and— 

"  Oh,  no,  it  vas  not  my  dog." 

"  Why,  you  said  it  was  your  dog." 

"  Oh,  no,  gaptain,  I— 

"  It  was  a  white  dog,  wasn't  it,  with  his  tail  docked, 
and  one  ear  gone,  and— 

"Dot's  him,  dot's  him! — der  fery  dog.  Wy,  py 
Chorge,  dot  dog  he  vould  eat  baint  yoost  de  same 
like—" 

"  Well,  never  mind  that,  now — Vast  heaving — I  never 
saw  such  a  man.  You  start  him  on  that  dog  and  he'll 
dispute  a  year.  Blamed  if  I  haven't  seen  him  keep  it  up 
a  level  two  hours  and  a  half." 

"  Why  captain  !  "  said  Barrow.  "  I  guess  that  must 
be  hearsay." 

"No,  sir,  no  hearsay  about  it — he  disputed  with 
me." 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  stood  it." 

"  Oh,  you've  got  to — if  you  run  with  Andy.  But  it's 
the  only  fault  he's  got." 

"  Ain't  you  afraid  of  acquiring  it  ?  " 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  captain,  tranquilly,  "no  danger 
of  that,  I  reckon." 

The  artists  presently  took  their  leave.  Then  Barrow 
put  his  hands  on  Tracy's  shoulders  and  said — 

"  Look  me  in  the  eye,  my  boy.  Steady,  steady. 
There — it's  just  as  I  thought — hoped,  anyway;  you're 


I  70  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

all  right,  thank  goodness.  Nothing  the  matter  with 
your  mind.  But  don't  do  that  again — even  for  fun.  It 
isn't  wise.  They  wouldn't  have  believed  you  if  you'd 
been  an  earl's  son.  Why,  they  couldnt—dorCt  you  know 
that  ?  What  ever  possessed  you  to  take  such  a  freak  ? 
But  never  mind  about  that;  let's  not  talk  of  it.  It  was 
a  mistake;  you  see  that  yourself." 

"  Yes — it  was  a  mistake." 

"  Well,  just  drop  it  out  of  your  mind;  it's  no  harm; 
we  all  make  them.  Pull  your  courage  together,  and 
don't  brood,  and  don't  give  up.  I'm  at  your  back,  and 
we'll  pull  through,  don't  you  be  afraid." 

When  he  was  gone,  Barrow  walked  the  floor  a  good 
while,  uneasy  in  his  mind.  He  said  to  himself,  "  I'm 
troubled  about  him.  He  never  would  have  made  a  break 
like  that  if  he  hadn't  been  a  little  off  his  balance.  But  I 
know  what  being  out  of  work  and  no  prospect  ahead 
can  do  for  a  man.  First  it  knocks  the  pluck  out  of  him 
and  drags  his  pride  in  the  dirt;  worry  does  the  rest,  and 
his  mind  gets  shaky.  I  must  talk  to  these  people.  No 
— if  there's  any  humanity  in  them — and  there  is,  at  bot 
tom — they'll  be  easier  on  him  if  they  think  his  troubles 
have  disturbed  his  reason.  But  I've  got  to  find  him 
some  work;  work's  the  only  medicine  for  his  disease. 
Poor  devil !  away  off  here,  and  not  a  friend." 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE  moment  Tracy  was  alone  his  spirits  vanished 
away,  and  all  the  misery  of  his  situation  was  manifest 
to  him.  To  be  moneyless  and  an  object  of  the  chair- 
maker's  charity — this  was  bad  enough,  but  his  folly  in 
proclaiming  himself  an  earl's  son  to  that  scoffing  and 
unbelieving  crew,  and,  on  top  of  that,  the  humiliating 
result — the  recollection  of  these  things  was  a  sharper 
torture  still.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  never 
play  earl's  son  again  before  a  doubtful  audience. 

His  father's  answer  was  a  blow  he  could  not  under 
stand.  At  times  he  thought  his  father  imagined  he 
could  get  work  to  do  in  America  without  any  trouble, 
and  was  minded  to  let  him  try  it  and  cure  himself  of 
his  radicalism  by  hard,  cold,  disenchanting  experience. 
That  seemed  the  most  plausible  theory,  yet  he  could 
not  content  himself  with  it.  A  theory  that  pleased  him 
better  was,  that  this  cablegram  would  be  followed  by 
another,  of  a  gentler  sort,  requiring  him  to  come  home. 
Should  he  write  and  strike  his  flag,  and  ask  for  a  ticket 
home  ?  Oh,  no,  that  he  couldn't  ever  do.  At  least,  not 
yet.  That  cablegram  would  come,  it  certainly  would. 
So  he  went  from  one  telegraph  office  to  another  every 
day  for  nearly  a  week,  and  asked  if  there  was  a  cable 
gram  for  Howard  Tracy.  No,  there  wasn't  any.  So 
they  answered  him  at  first.  Later,  they  said  it  before 


I  7  2  '1  'ffE  A  M ERIC  A  N  CLA  IMA  N  7 '. 

he  had  a  chance  to  ask.  Later  still  they  merely  shook 
their  heads  impatiently  as  soon  as  he  came  in  sight. 
After  that  he  was  ashamed  to  go  any  more. 

He  was  down  in  the  lowest  depths  of  despair,  now; 
for  the  harder  Barrow  tried  to  find  work  for  him  the 
more  hopeless  the  possibilities  seemed  to  grow.  At 
last  he  said  to  Barrow — 

"  Look  here.  I  want  to  make  a  confession.  I  have 
got  down,  now,  to  where  I  am  not  only  willing  to  ac 
knowledge  to  myself  that  I  am  a  shabby  creature  and 
full  of  false  pride,  but  am  willing  to  acknowledge  it  to 
you.  Well,  I've  been  allowing  you  to  wear  yourself 
out  hunting  for  work  for  me  when  there's  been  a  chance 
open  to  me  all  the  time.  Forgive  my  pride — what  was 
left  of  it.  It  is  all  gone,  now,  and  I've  come  to  confess 
that  if  those  ghastly  artists  want  another  confederate, 
I'm  their  man — for  at  last  I  am  dead  to  shame." 

"  No  ?     Really,  can  you  paint?  " 

"  Not  as  badly  as  they.  No,  I  don't  claim  that,  for 
I  am  not  a  genius;  in  fact,  I  am  a  very  indifferent  ama 
teur,  a  slouchy  dabster,  a  mere  artistic  sarcasm;  but 
drunk  or  asleep  I  can  beat  those  buccaneers." 

"  Shake  !  I  want  to  shout !  Oh,  I  tell  you,  I  am  im 
mensely  delighted  and  relieved.  Oh,  just  to  work — 
that  is  life  !  No  matter  what  the  work  is — that's  of  no 
consequence.  Just  work  itself  is  bliss  when  a  man's 
been  starving  for  it.  I've  been  there  !  Come  right  along, 
we'll  hunt  the  old  boys  up.  Don't  you  feel  good  ?  I 
tell  you  /do." 

The  freebooters  were  not  at  home.  But  their 
"works"  were, — displayed  in  profusion  all  about  the 
little  ratty  studio.  Cannon  to  the  right  of  them,  can- 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  I  73 

non  to  the  left  of  them,  cannon  in  front — it  was  Bal 
aclava  come  again. 

"  Here's  the  uncontented  hackman,  Tracy.  Buckle 
to— deepen  the  sea-green  to  turf,  turn  the  ship  into 
a  hearse.  Let  the  boys  have  a  taste  of  your 
quality." 

The  artists  arrived  just  as  the  last  touch  was  put  on. 
They  stood  transfixed  with  admiration. 

"  My  souls  but  she's  a  stunner,  that  hearse  !  The 
hackman  will  just  go  all  to  pieces  when  he  sees  that— 
won't  he  Andy  ?  " 

"Oh,  it  is  sphlennid,  sphlennid  !  Herr  Tracy,  why 
haf  you  not  said  you  vas  a  so  sublime  aartist  ?  Lob' 
Gott,  of  you  had  lif'd  in  Paris  you  would  be  a  Free  de 
Rome,  dot's  vot's  de  matter  !  " 

The  arrangements  were  soon  made.  Tracy  was  taken 
into  full  and  equal  partnership,  and  he  went  straight  to 
work,  with  dash  and  energy,  to  reconstructing  gems  of 
art  whose  accessories  had  failed  to  satisfy.  Under  his 
hand,  on  that  and  succeeding  days,  artillery  disappeared 
and  the  emblems  of  peace  and  commerce  took  its  place 
— cats,  hacks,  sausages,  tugs,  fire  engines,  pianos,  gui 
tars,  rocks,  gardens,  flower-pots,  landscapes — what 
ever  was  wanted,  he  flung  it  in;  and  the  more  out  of 
place  and  absurd  the  required  object  was,  the  more 
joy  Ire  got  out  of  fabricating  it.  The  pirates  were  de 
lighted,  the  customers  applauded,  the  sex  began  to 
flock  in,  great  was  the  prosperity  of  the  firm.  Tracy 
was  obliged  to  confess  to  himself  that  there  was  some 
thing  about  work, — even  such  grotesque  and  humble 
work  as  this — which  most  pleasantly  satisfied  a  some 
thing  in  his  nature  which  had  never  been  satisfied  be- 


^       Of 


I  74  THE  A  M ERIC  A  N  CLA  IMA  N  T. 

fore,  and  also  gave  him  a  strange  new  dignity  in  his 
own  private  view  of  himself. 

The  Unqualified  Member  from  Cherokee  Strip  was 
in  a  state  of  deep  dejection.  For  a  good  while,  now, 
he  had  been  leading  a  sort  of  life  which  was  calculated 
to  kill;  for  it  had  consisted  in  regularly  alternating 
days  of  brilliant  hope  and  black  disappointment.  The 
brilliant  hopes  were  created  by  the  magician  Sellers, 
and  they  always  promised  that  now  he  had  got  the 
trick,  sure,  and  would  effectively  influence  that  mate 
rialized  cowboy  to  call  at  the  Towers  before  night.  The 
black  disappointments  consisted  in  the  persistent  and 
monotonous  failure  of  these  prophecies. 

At  the  date  which  this  history  has  now  reached,  Sel 
lers  was  appalled  to  find  that  the  usual  remedy  was 
inoperative,  and  that  Hawkins's  low  spirits  refused  ab 
solutely  to  lift.  Something  must  be  done,  he  reflected; 
it  was  heart-breaking,  this  woe,  this  smileless  misery, 
this  dull  despair  that  looked  out  from  his  poor  friend's 
face.  ,  Yes,  he  must  be  cheered  up.  He  mused  a  while, 
then  he  saw  his  way.  He  said  in  his  most  conspicu 
ously  casual  vein — 

"  Er-uh — by  the  way,  Hawkins,  we  are  feeling  dis 
appointed  about  this  thing — the  way  the  materializee  is 
acting,  I  mean  —  we  are  disappointed;  you  concede 
that  ? " 

11  Concede  it  ?     Why,  yes,  if  you  like  the  term." 

"Very  well;  so  far,  so  good:  Now  for  the  basis  of 
the  feeling.  It  is  not  that  your  heart,  your  affections 
are  concerned;  that  is  to  say,  it  is  not  that  you  want 
the  materializee  Itself.  You  concede  that  ?  " 


THE  A  M  ERIC  A  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  ?J  5 

"  Yes,  I  concede  that,  too — cordially." 

"  Very  well,  again;  we  are  making  progress.  To 
sum  up:  The  feeling,  it  is  conceded,  is  not  engendered 
by  the  mere  conduct  of  the  materializee;  it  is  conceded 
that  it  does  not  arise  from  any  pang  which  the  person 
ality  of  the  materializee  could  assuage.  Now  then," 
said  the  earl,  with  the  light  of  triumph  in  his  eye,  "the 
inexorable  logic  of  the  situation  narrows  us  down  to 
this:  our  feeling  has  its  source  in  the  vtoney-\os$  in 
volved.  Come — isn't  that  so  ?  " 

"  Goodness  knows  I  concede  that,  with  all  my  heart." 

"  Very  well.  When  you've  found  out  the  source  of 
a  disease,  you've  also  found  out  what  remedy  is  re 
quired — just  as  in  this  case.  In  this  case  money  is  re 
quired.  And  only  money." 

The  old,  old  seduction  was  in  that  airy,  confident 
tone  and  those  significant  words — usually  caUed  preg 
nant  words  in  books.  The  old  answering  signs  of  faith 
and  hope  showed  up  in  Hawkins's  countenance,  and  he 
said — 

"  Only  money  ?  Do  you  mean  that  you  know  a  way 
to—" 

"  Washington,  have  you  the  impression  that  I  have 
no  resources  but  those  I  allow  the  public  and  my  inti 
mate  friends  to  know  about  ?  " 

"Well,  I— er—  " 

"  Is  it  likely,  do  you  think,  that  a  man  moved  by  na 
ture  and  taught  by  experience  to  keep  his  affairs  to 
himself  and  a  cautious  and  reluctant  tongue  in  his 
head,  wouldn't  be  thoughtful  enough  to  keep  a  few 
resources  in  reserve  for  a  rainy  day,  when  he's  got  as 
many  as  I  have  to  select  from  ? " 


I  7 6  THE  A  M ERICA  N  CLA  IMA  N  T. 

"  Oh,  you  make  me  feel  so  much  better  already,  Col* 
onel !  " 

"  Have  you  ever  been  in  my  laboratory  ? " 

"  Why,  no." 

"  That's  it.  You  see  you  didn't  even  know  that  I 
had  one.  Come  along.  I've  got  a  little  trick  there 
that  I  want  to  show  you.  I've  kept  it  perfectly  quiet, 
not  fifty  people  know  anything  about  it.  But  that's 
my  way,  always  been  my  way.  Wait  till  you're  ready, 
that's  the  idea;  and  when  you're  ready,  zzip! — let  her 
go  !  " 

"Well,  Colonel,  I've  never  seen  a  man  that  I've 
had  such  unbounded  confidence  in  as  you.  When 
you  say  a  thing  right  out,  I  always  feel  as  if  that 
ends  it;  as  if  that  is  evidence,  and  proof,  and  every 
thing  else." 

The  old  earl  was  profoundly  pleased  and  touched. 

"  I'm  glad  yon  believe  in  me,  Washington;  not  every 
body  is  so  just." 

"  I  always  have  believed  in  you;  and  I  always  shall 
as  long  as  I  live." 

"  Thank  you,  my  boy.  You  shan't  repent  it.  And 
you  cant."  Arrived  in  the  "  laboratory,"  the  earl  con 
tinued,  "  Now,  cast  your  eye  around  this  room — what 
do  you  see  ?  Apparently  a  junk-shop;  apparently  a 
hospital  connected  with  a  patent  orifice — in  reality, 
the  mines  of  Golconda  in  disguise  !  Look  at  that 
thing  there.  Now  what  would  you  take  that  thing 
to  be  ? " 

"  I  don't  believe  I  could  ever  imagine." 

"  Of  course  you  couldn't.  It's  my  grand  adaptation 
of  the  phonograph  to  the  marine  service.  You  store 


y  'HE  A  M EX  1C  A  N  CLA  IMA  N  7 '.  177 

up  profanity  in  it  for  use  at  sea.  You  know  that  sail 
ors  don't  fly  around  worth  a  cent  unless  you  swear  at 
them — so  the  mate  that  can  do  the  best  job  of  swear 
ing  is  the  most  valuable  man.  In  great  emergencies 
his  talent  saves  the  ship.  But  a  ship  is  a  large  thing, 
and  he  can't  be  everywhere  at  once;  so  there  have 
been  times  when  one  mate  has  lost  a  ship  which  could 
have  been  saved  if  they  had  had  a  hundred.  Prodig 
ious  storms,  you  know.  Well,  a  ship  can't  afford  a 
hundred  mates;  but  she  can  afford  a  hundred  Cursing 
Phonographs,  and  distribute  them  all  over  the  vessel— 
and  there,  you  see,  she's  armed  at  every  point.  Imag 
ine  a  big  storm,  and  a  hundred  of  my  machines  all 
cursing  away  at  once — splendid  spectacle,  splendid  !— 
you  couldn't  hear  yourself  think.  Ship  goes  through 
that  storm  perfectly  serene — she's  just  as  safe  as  she'd 
be  on  shore." 

"  It's  a  wonderful  idea.  How  do  you  prepare  the 
thing  ? " 

"  Load  it — simply  load  it." 

"  How  ?  " 

"  Why  you  just  stand  over  it  and  swear  into  it." 

"  That  loads  it,  does  it?  " 

"Yes  —  because  every  word  it  collars,  it  keeps — 
keeps  it  forever.  Never  wears  out.  Any  time  you  turn 
the  crank,  out  it'll  come.  In  times  of  great  peril,  you 
can  reverse  it,  and  it'll  swear  backwards.  That  makes 
a  sailor  hump  himself!  " 

"  O,  I  see.     Who  loads  them  ?— the  mate  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  he  chooses.  Or  I'll  furnish  them  already 
loaded.  I  can  hire  an  expert  for  $75  a  month  who  will 
load  a  hundred  and  fifty  phonographs  in  150  hours, 


I  78  THE  A  M ERICA  N  CLA  IMA  A '  7 . 

and  do  it  easy.  And  an  expert  can  furnish  a  stronger 
article,  of  course,  than  the  mere  average  uncultivated 
mate  could.  Then  you  see,  all  the  ships  of  the  world 
will  buy  them  ready  loaded — for  I  shall  have  them 
loaded  in  any  language  a  customer  wants.  Hawkins, 
it  will  work  the  grandest  moral  reform  of  the  iQth  cen 
tury.  Five  years  from  now,  all  the  swearing  will  be 
done  by  machinery — you  won't  ever  hear  a  profane 
word  come  from  human  lips  on  a  ship.  Millions  of  dol 
lars  have  been  spent  by  the  churches,  in  the  effort  to 
abolish  profanity  in  the  commercial  marine.  Think  of 
it — my  name  will  live  forever  in  the  affections  of  good 
men  as  the  man,  who,  solitary  and  alone,  accomplished 
this  noble  and  elevating  reform." 

"  O,  it  is  grand  and  beneficent  and  beautiful.  How 
did  you  ever  come  to  think  of  it  ?  You  have  a  won 
derful  mind.  How  did  you  say  you  loaded  the  ma 
chine  ?  " 

"  O,  it's  no  trouble — perfectly  simple.  If  you  want 
to  load  it  up  loud  and  strong,  you  stand  right  over  it 
and  shout.  But  if  you  leave  it  open  and  all  set,  it'll 
eavesdrop,  so  to  speak — that  is  to  say,  it  will  load  itself 
up  with  any  sounds  that  are  made  within  six  feet  of  it. 
Now  I'll  show  you  how  it  works.  I  had  an  expert 
come  and  load  this  one  up  yesterday.  Hello,  it's  been 
left  open — it's  too  bad — still  I  reckon  it  hasn't  had 
much  chance  to  collect  irrelevant  stuff.  All  you  do  is 
to  press  this  button  in  the  floor — so." 

The  phonograph  began  to  sing  in  a  plaintive  voice  : 

There  is  a  boarding-house,  far  far  away, 
Where  they  have  ham  and  eggs,  3  times  a  day. 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  I  79 

"  Hang  it,  that  ain't  it.  Somebody's  been  singing 
around  here." 

The  plaintive  song  began  again,  mingled  with  a  low, 
gradually  rising  wail  of  cats  slowly  warming  up  tow 
ard  a  fight; 

O,  how  the  boarders  yell, 

When  they  hear  that  dinner  bell — 

They  give  that  landlord — 

(momentary  outburst  of  terrific  catfight  which  drowns 
out  one  word.) 

Three  times  a  day. 

(Renewal  of  furious  catfight  for  a  moment.    The  plain 
tive  voice  on  a  high  fierce  key,  "  Scat,  you  devils  "- 
and  a  racket  as  of  flying  missiles.) 

"  Well,  never  mind — let  it  go.  I've  got  some  sailor- 
profanity  down  in  there  somewhere,  if  I  could  get  to 
it.  But  it  isn't  any  matter;  you  see  how  the  machine 
works." 

Hawkins  responded  with  enthusiasm — 

"  O,  it  works  admirably  !  I  know  there's  a  hundred 
fortunes  in  it." 

"  And  mind,  the  Hawkins  family  get  their  share, 
Washington." 

"  O,  thanks,  thanks;  you  are  just  as  generous  as  ever. 
Ah,  it's  the  grandest  invention  of  the  age  !  " 

"  Ah,  well,  we  live  in  wonderful  times.  The  ele 
ments  are  crowded  full  of  beneficent  forces — always 
have  been — and  ours  is  the  first  generation  to  turn 
them  to  account  and  make  them  work  for  us.  Why 
Hawkins,  everything  is  useful — nothing  ought  ever  to 
be  wasted.  Now  look  at  sewer  gas,  for  instance.  Sewer 


]  80  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

gas  has  always  been  wasted,  heretofore;  nobody  tried 
to  save  up  sewer-gas — you  can't  name  me  a  man.  Ain't 
that  so  ?  you  know  perfectly  well  it's  so.'' 

"  Yes  it  is  so — but  I  never — er — I  don't  quite  see 
why  a  body — 

"  Should  want  to  save  it  up  ?  Well,  I'll  tell  you. 
Do  you  see  this  little  invention  here  ? — it's  a  decom 
poser — I  call  it  a  decomposer.  I  give  you  my  word  of 
honor  that  if  you  show  me  a  house  that  produces  a 
given  quantity  of  sewer-gas  in  a  day,  I'll  engage  to  set 
up  my  decomposer  there  and  make  that  house  produce 
a  hundred  times  that  quantity  of  sewer-gas  in  less  than 
half  an  hour." 

"  Dear  me,  but  why  should  you  want  to  ?  " 

"  Want  to  ?  Listen,  and  you'll  see.  My  boy,  for 
illuminating  purposes  and  economy  combined,  there's 
nothing  in  the  world  that  begins  with  sewer-gas.  And 
really,  it  don't  cost  a  cent.  You  put  in  a  good  inferior 
article  of  plumbing, — such  as  you  find  everywhere — 
and  add  my  decomposer,  and  there  you  are.  Just  use 
the  ordinary  gas  pipes — and  there  your  expense  ends. 
Think  of  it.  Why,  Major,  in  five  years  from  now  you 
won't  see  a  house  lighted  with  anything  but  sewer- 
gas.  Every  physician  I  talk  to,  recommends  it;  and 
every  plumber." 

"  But  isn't  it  dangerous  ?  " 

"  O,  yes,  more  or  less,  but  everything  is  —  coal 
gas,  candles,  electricity — there  isn't  anything  that 
ain't." 

"  It  lights  up  well,  does  it  ?  " 

"  O,  magnificently." 

"  Have  you  given  it  a  good  trial  ?  " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  l8l 

"  Well,  no,  not  a  first  rate  one.  Polly's  prejudiced, 
and  she  won't  let  me  put  it  in  here;  but  I'm  playing  my 
cards  to  get  it  adopted  in  the  President's  house,  and  then 
it'll  go — don't  you  doubt  it.  I  shall  not  need  this  one 
for  the  present,  Washington;  you  may  take  it  down  to 
some  boarding-house  and  give  it  a  trial  if  you  like." 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

WASHINGTON  shuddered  slightly  at  the  suggestion, 
then  his  face  took  on  a  dreamy  look  and  he  dropped 
into  a  trance  of  thought.  After  a  little,  Sellers  asked 
him  what  he  was  grinding  in  his  mental  mill. 

''Well,  this.  Have  you  got  some  secret  project  in 
your  head  which  requires  a  Bank  of  England  back  of  it 
to  make  it  succeed?" 

The  Colonel  showed  lively  astonishment,  and  said — 

"  Why,  Hawkins,  are  you  a  mind-reader  ?" 

"  I  ?     I  never  thought  of  such  a  thing." 

"  Well,  then  how  did  you  happen  to  drop  onto  that 
idea  in  this  curious  fashion?  It's  just  mind-reading, — 
that's  what  it  is,  though  you  may  not  know  it.  Be 
cause  I  have  got  a  private  project  that  requires  a  Bank 
of  England  at  its  back.  How  could  you  divine  that? 
What  was  the  process  ?  This  is  interesting." 

"  There  wasn't  any  process.  A  thought  like  this 
happened  to  slip  through  my  head  by  accident:  How 
much  would  make  you  or  me  comfortable  ?  A  hundred 
thousand.  Yet  you  are  expecting  two  or  three  of  these 
inventions  of  yours  to  turn  out  some  billions  of  money 
— and  you  are  wanting  them  to  do  that.  If  you  want 
ed  ten  millions,  I  could  understand  that — it's  inside 
the  human  limits.  But  billions  !  That's  clear  outside 
the  limits.  There  must  be  a  definite  project  back  of 
that  somewhere." 

183 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  183 

The  earl's  interest  and  surprise  augmented  with 
every  word,  and  when  Hawkins  finished,  he  said  with 
strong  admiration— 

"  It's  wonderfully  reasoned  out,  Washington,  it  cer 
tainly  is.  It  shows  what  I  think  is  quite  extraordinary 
penetration.  For  you've  hit  it;  you've  driven  the  cen 
tre,  you've  plugged  the  bulls-eye  of  my  dream.  Now 
I'll  tell  you  the  whole  thing,  and  you'll  understand  it. 
I  don't  need  to  ask  you  to  keep  it  to  yourself,  because 
you'll  see  that  the  project  will  prosper  all  the  better 
for  being  kept  in  the  background  till  the  right  time. 
Have  you  noticed  how  many  pamphlets  and  books 
I've  got  lying  around  relating  to  Russia  ?" 

"Yes,  I  think  most  anybody  would  notice  that — 
anybody  who  wasn't  dead." 

"  Well,  I've  been  posting  myself  a  good  while. 
That's  a  great  and  splendid  nation,  and  deserves  to  be 
set  free."  He  paused,  then  added  in  a  quite  matter-of- 
fact  way,  "  When  I  get  this  money  I'm  going  to  set  it 
free." 

"  Great  guns !" 

"  Why,  what  makes  you  jump  like  that  ?" 

"  Dear  me,  when  you  are  going  to  drop  a  remark 
under  a  man's  chair  that  is  likely  to  blow  him  out 
through  the  roof,  why  don't  you  put  some  expression, 
some  force,  some  noise  into  it  that  will  prepare  him  ? 
You  shouldn't  flip  out  such  a  gigantic  thing  as  this  in 
that  colorless  kind  of  a  way.  You  do  jolt  a  person  up, 
so.  Go  on,  now,  I'm  all  right  again.  Tell  me  a!l 
about  it.  I'm  all  interest — yes,  and  sympathy,  too." 

"Well,  I've  looked  the  ground  over,  and  concluded 
that  the  methods  of  the  Russian  patriots,  while  good 


i84 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


enough  considering  the  way  the  boys  are  hampered, 
are  not  the  best;  at  least  not  the  quickest.  They  are 
trying  to  revolutionize  Russia  from  within;  that's 
pretty  slow,  you  know,  and  liable  to  interruption  all 
the  time,  and  is  full  of  perils  for  the  workers.  Do  you 
know  how  Peter  the  Great  started  his  army  ?  He  didn't 


WASTED    SEWER    GAS. 


start  it  on  the  family  premises  under  the  noses  of  the 
Strelitzes;  no,  he  started  it  away  off  yonder,  privately, 
— only  just  one  regiment,  you  know,  and  he  built  to 
that.  The  first  thing  the  Strelitzes  knew,  the  regi 
ment  was  an  army,  their  position  was  turned,  and  they 
had  to  take  a  walk.  Just  that  little  idea  made  the  big- 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT,  185 

gest  and  worst  of  all  the  despotisms  the  world  has  seen. 
The  same  idea  can  «;/make  it.  I'm  going  to  prove  it. 
I'm  going  to  get  out  to  one  side  and  work  my  scheme 
the  way  Peter  did." 

"This  is  mighty  interesting,.  Rossmore.  What  is  it 
you  are  going  to  do  ? " 

14 1  am  going  to  buy  Siberia  and  start  a  republic." 

"There,— bang  you  go  again,  without  giving  any 
notice  !  Going  to  buy  it  ? " 

"  Yes,  as  soon  as  I  get  the  money.  I  don't  care 
what  the  price  is,  I  shall  take  it.  I  can  afford  it,  and 
I  will.  Now  then,  consider  this — and  you've  never 
thought  of  it,  I'll  warrant.  Where  is  the  place  where 
there  is  twenty-five  times  more  manhood,  pluck,  true 
heroism,  unselfishness,  devotion  to  high  and  noble 
ideals,  adoration  of  liberty,  wide  education,  and  brains, 
per  thousand  of  population,  than  any  other  domain  in 
the  whole  world  can  show?" 

"  Siberia !" 

"Right." 

"  It  is  true;  it  certainly  is  true,  but  I  never  thought 
of  it  before." 

"  Nobody  ever  thinks  of  it.  But  it's  so,  just  the 
same.  In  those  mines  and  prisons  are  gathered  to 
gether  the  very  finest  and  noblest  and  capablest  mul 
titude  of  human  beings  that  God  is  able  to  create. 
Now  if  you  had  that  kind  of  a  population  to  sell,  would 
you  offer  it  to  a  despotism  ?  No,  the  despotism  has  no 
use  for  "it;  you  would  lose  money.  A  despotism  has 
no  use  for  anything  but  human  cattle.  But  suppose 
you  want  to  start  a  republic  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  see.     It's  just  the  material  for  it." 


1 86  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"Well,  I  should  say  so!  There's  Siberia  with  just 
the  very  finest  and  choicest  material  on  the  globe  for 
a  republic,  and  more  coining — more  coming  all  the 
time,  don't  you  see  !  It  is  being  daily,  weekly,  month 
ly  recruited  by  the  most  perfectly  devised  system  that 
has  ever  been  invented,  perhaps.  By  this  system  the 
whole  of  the  hundred  millions  of  Russia  are  being  con 
stantly  and  patiently  sifted,  sifted,  sifted,  by  myriads 
of  trained  experts,  spies  appointed  by  the  Emperor 
personally;  and  whenever  they  catch  a  man,  woman 
or  child  that  has  got  any  brains  or  education  or  char 
acter,  they  ship  that  person  straight  to  Siberia.  It  is 
admirable,  it  is  wonderful.  It  is  so  searching  and  so 
effective  that  it  keeps  the  general  level  of  Russian  in 
tellect  and  education  down  to  that  of  the  Czar." 
"  Come,  that  sounds  like  exaggeration." 
"  Well,  it's  what  they  say  anyway.  But  I  think, 
myself,  it's  a  lie.  And  it  doesn't  seem  right  to  slander 
a  whole  nation  that  way,  anyhow.  Now,  then,  you 
see  what  the  material  is,  there  in  Siberia,  for  a  repub 
lic."  He  paused,  and  his  breast  began  to  heave  and 
his  eye  to  burn,  under  the  impulse  of  strong  emotion. 
Then  his  words  began  to  stream  forth,  with  constantly 
increasing  energy  and  fire,  and  he  rose  to  his  feet  as  if 
to  give  himself  larger  freedom.  "  The  minute  I  organ 
ize  that  republic,  the  light  of  liberty,  intelligence,  jus 
tice,  humanity,  bursting  from  it,  flooding  from  it,  flam 
ing  from  it,  will  concentrate  the  gaze  of  the  whole 
astonished  world  as  upon  the  miracle  of  a  naw  sun; 
Russia's  countless  multitudes  of  slaves  will  rise  up  and 
march,  march  ! — eastward,  with  that  great  light  trans 
figuring  their  faces  as  they  come,  and  far  back  of  them 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


i87 


you  will  see — what  will  you  see? — a  vacant  throne  in 
an  empty  land !  It  can  be  done,  and  by  God  I  will  do 
it!" 

He   stood   a  moment  bereft  of  \tt;'// 

earthy  consciousness  by  his  exal 
tation;  then  consciousness  return- 


ed,  bringing  him 
a    slight    shock, 


and  he  said, with 
grave  earnest 
ness — 

"  I    must  ask 
you   to    pardon 
me,  Major  Haw 
kins.       I     have 
never  used  that  expres 
sion  before,  and  I  beg 
you  will  forgive  it  this 
time." 

Hawkins    was    quite 
willing. 

"  You  see,  Washing 
ton,  it  is  an  error  which 
I  am  by  nature  not  lia 
ble  to.     Only  excitable  people,  impulsive  people,  are 
exposed  to  it.     But  the  circumstances  of  the  present 


EASTWARD  WITH  THAT  GREAT  LIGHT 
TRANSFIGURING  THEIR  FACES." 


I  8  8  THE  A  ME  RICA  N  CLA  IMA  N  T. 

case — I  being  a  democrat  by  birth  and  preference, 
and  an  aristocrat  by  inheritance  and  relish — " 

The  earl  stopped  suddenly,  his  frame  stiffened,  and 
he  began  to  stare  speechless  through  the  curtainless 
window.  Then  he  pointed,  and  gasped  out  a  single 
rapturous  word — 

"Look!" 

"Whatsit,  Colonel?" 

"///" 

"No!" 

"  Sure  as  you're  born.  Keep  perfectly  still.  I'll 
apply  the  influence — I'll  turn  on  all  my  force.  I've 
brought  It  thus  far — I'll  fetch  It  right  into  the  house. 
You'll  see." 

He  was  making  all  sorts  of  passes  in  the  air  with  his 
hands. 

"  There  !   Look  at  that.    I've  made  It  smile  !    See  ?" 

Quite  true.  Tracy,  out  for  an  afternoon  stroll,  had 
come  unexpectantly  upon  his  family  arms  displayed 
upon  this  shabby  house-front.  The  hatchments  made 
him  smile;  which  was  nothing,  they  had  made  the 
neighborhood  cats  do  that. 

"  Look,  Hawkins,  look  !     I'm  drawing  It  over  !" 

"  You're  drawing  it  sure,  Rossmore.  If  I  ever  had 
any  doubts  about  materialization,  they're  gone,  now, 
and  gone  for  good.  Oh,  this  is  a  joyful  day  ! " 

Tracy  was  sauntering  over  to  read  the  door-plate. 
Before  he  was  half  way  over  he  was  saying  to  himself, 
"  Why,  manifestly  these  are  the  American  Claimant's 
quarters." 

"  It's  coming — coming  right  along.  I'll  slide  down 
and  pull  It  in.  You  follow  after  me." 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  [89 

Sellers,  pale  and  a  good  deal  agitated,  opened  the 
door  and  confronted  Tracy.  The  old  man  could  not 
at  once  get  his  voice:  then  he  pumped  out  a  scattering 
and  hardly  coherent  salutation,  and  followed  it  with— 

"  Walk  in,  walk  right  in,  Mr. — er — 

"  Tracy — Howard  Tracy." 

— "  Tracy — thanks — walk  right  in,  you're  expected." 

Tracy  entered,  considerably  puzzled,  and  said— 

"  Expected  ?     I  think  there  must  be  some  mistake." 

"Oh,  I  judge  not,"  said  Sellers,  who  noticing  that 
Hawkins  had  arrived,  gave  him  a  sidewise  glance  in 
tended  to  call  his  close  attention  to  a  dramatic  effect 
which  he  was  proposing  to  produce  by  his  next  re 
mark.  Then  he  said,  slowly  and  impressively — "  I  am 
—  You  Know  Who!' 

To  the  astonishment  of  both  conspirators  the  re 
mark  produced  no  dramatic  effect  at  all;  for  the  new 
comer  responded  with  a  quite  innocent  and  unembar 
rassed  air — 

"No,  pardon  me.  I  don't  know  who  you  are.  I 
only  suppose — but  no  doubt  correctly — that  you  are 
the  gentleman  whose  title  is  on  the  doorplate." 

"  Right,  quite  right — sit  down,  pray  sit  down."  The 
earl  was  rattled,  thrown  off  his  bearings,  his  head  was 
in  a  whirl.  Then  he  noticed  Hawkins  standing  apart 
and  staring  idiotically  at  what  to  him  was  the  appari 
tion  of  a  defunct  man,  and  a  new  idea  was  born  to  him. 
He  said  to  Tracy  briskly — 

"  But  a  thousand  pardons,  dear  sir,  I  am  forgetting 
courtesies  due  to  a  guest  and  stranger.  Let  me  intro 
duce  my  friend  General  Hawkins — General  Hawkins, 
our  new  Senator — Senator  from  the  latest  and  grandest 


1 90  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

addition  to  the  radiant  galaxy  of  sovereign  States, 
Cherokee  Strip" — (to  himself,  "that  name  will  shrivel 
him  up  !  " — but  it  didn't,  in  the  least,  and  the  Colonel 
resumed  the  introduction  piteously  disheartened  and 
amazed), — "  Senator  Hawkins,  Mr.  Howard  Tracy,  of 

"England." 

"  England  !— Why  that's  im— " 

"England,  yes,  native  of  England." 

"  Recently  from  there  ?  " 

"  Yes,  quite  recently." 

Said  the  Colonel  to  himself,  "  This  phantom  lies  like 
an  expert.  Purifying  this  kind  by  fire  don't  work.  I'll 
sound  him  a  little  further,  give  him  another  chance  or 
two  to  work  his  gift."  Then  aloud — with  deep  irony— 

"Visiting  our  great  country  for  recreation  and 
amusement,  no  doubt.  I  suppose  you  find  that  travel 
ing  in  the  majestic  expanses  of  our  Far  West  is — 

"  I  haven't  been  West,  and  haven't  been  devoting 
myself  to  amusement  with  any  sort  of  exclusiveness,  I 
assure  you.  In  fact,  to  merely  live,  an  artist  has  got 
to  work,  not  play." 

"Artist!  "  said  Hawkins  to  himself,  thinking  of  the 
rifled  bank;  "  that  is  a  name  for  it !  " 

"  Are  you  an  artist  ?  "  asked  the  colonel;  and  added 
to  himself,  "  now  I'm  going  to  catch  him." 

"  In  a  humble  way,  yes." 

"  What  line  ?  "  pursued  the  sly  veteran. 

"  Oils." 

"  I've  got  him  !  "  said  Sellers  to  himself.  Then  aloud, 
"  This  is  fortunate.  Could  I  engage  you  to  restore 
some  of  my  paintings  that  need  that  attention  ? " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  19! 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad.     Pray  let  me  see  them/' 

No  shuffling,  no  evasion,  no  embarrassment,  even 
under  this  crucial  test.  The  Colonel  was  nonplussed. 
He  led  Tracy  to  a  chromo  which  had  suffered  damage 
in  a  former  owner's  hands  through  being  used  as  a 
lamp  mat,  and  said,  with  a  flourish  of  his  hand  toward 
the  picture — 

"  This  del  Sarto— 

"  Is  that  a  del  Sarto?" 

The  colonel  bent  a  look  of  reproach  upon  Tracy, 
allowed  it  to  sink  home,  then  resumed  as  if  there  had 
been  no  interruption— 

"This  del  Sarto  is  perhaps  the  only  original  of  that 
sublime  master  in  our  country.  You  see,  yourself, 
that  the  work  is  of  such  exceeding  delicacy  that  the 
risk — could — er — would  you  mind  giving  me  a  little 
example  of  what  you  can  do  before  we — " 

"  Cheerfully,  cheerfully.  I  will  copy  one  of  these 
marvels." 

Water-color  materials — relics  of  Miss  Sally's  college 
life — were  brought.  Tracy  said  he  was  better  in  oils, 
but  would  take  a  chance  with  these.  So  he  was  left 
alone.  He  began  his  work,  but  the  attractions  of  the 
place  were  too  strong  for  him,  and  he  got  up  and 
went  drifting  about,  fascinated;  also  amazed. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

MEANTIME  the  earl  and  Hawkins  were  holding  a 
troubled  and  anxious  private  consultation  The  earl 
said — 

"  The  mystery  that  bothers  me,  is,  where  did  It  get 
its  other  arm  ?  " 

"  Yes — it  worries  me,  too.  And  another  thing 
troubles  me — the  apparition  is  English.  How  do  you 
account  for  that,  Colonel  ?  " 

"  Honestly,  I  don't  know,  Hawkins,  I  don't  really 
know.  It  is  very  confusing  and  awful." 

"  Don't  you  think  maybe  we've  waked  up  the  wrong 
one  ? " 

"The  wrong  one?  How  do  you  account  for  the 
clothes?" 

"  The  clothes  arc  right,  there's  no  getting  around  it. 
What  are  we  going  to  do?  We  can't  collect,  as  I  see. 
The  reward  is  for  a  one-armed  American.  This  is  a 
two-armed  Englishman." 

"Well,  it  may  be  that  that  is  not  objectionable. 
You  see  it  isn't  less  than  is  called  for,  it  is  more,  and 
so,-" 

But  he  saw  that  this  argument  was  weak,  and 
dropped  it.  The  friends  sat  brooding  over  their  per 
plexities  some  time  in  silence.  Finally  the  earl's  face 
began  to  glow  with  an  inspiration,  and  he  said,  im 
pressively: 


n  »»v 
I*    »T 


AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  193 

"  Hawkins,  this  materialization  is  a  grander  and  no 
bler  science  than  we  have  dreamed  of.  We  have  little 
imagined  what  a  solemn  and  stupendous  thing  we  have 
done,  The  whole  secret  is  perfectly  clear  to  me,  now. 
clear  as  day.  Every  man  is  made  up  of  heredities, 
long-descended  atoms  and  particles  of  his  ancestors. 
This  present  materialization  is  incomplete.  We  have 
only  brought  it  down  to  perhaps  the  beginning  of  this 
century." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Colonel!"  cried  Hawkins, 
filled  with  vague  alarms  by  the  old  man's  awe-compel 
ling  words  and  manner. 

"  This.   We've  materialized  this  burglar's  ancestor!" 

"  Oh,  don't— don't  say  that.     It's  hideous." 

"But  it's  true,  Hawkins,  I  know  it.  Look  at  the 
facts.  This  apparition  is  distinctly  English — note 
that.  It  uses  good  grammar — note  that.  It  is  an  Ar 
tist — note  that.  It  has  the  manners  and  carriage  of  a 
gentleman — note  that.  Where's  your  cow-boy  ?  An 
swer  me  that." 

"  Rossmore,  this  is  dreadful — it's  too  dreadful  to 
think  of  !  " 

"  Never  resurrected  a  rag  of  that  burglar  but  the 
clothes,  not  a  solitary  rag  of  him  but  the  clothes." 

"  Colonel,  do  you  really  mean — " 

The  Colonel  brought  his  fist  down  with  emphasis 
and  said — 

"  I  mean  exactly  this.  The  materialization  was  im 
mature,  the  burglar  has  evaded  us,  this  is  nothing  but 
a  damned  ancestor  !  " 

He  rose  and  walked  the  floor  in  great  excitement. 
Hawkins  said  plaintively — 


I  9  4  THE  A  M ERICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT. 

"  It's  a  bitter  disappointment — bitter." 

"  I  know  it.  I  know  it,  Senator;  I  feel  it  as  deeply 
as  anybody  could.  But  we've  got  to  submit — on  moral 
grounds.  I  need  money,  but  God  knows  I  am  not 
poor  enough  or  shabby  enough  to  be  an  accessory  to 
the  punishing  of  a  man's  ancestor  for  crimes  committed 
by  that  ancestor's  posterity." 

"But  Colonel!"  implored  Hawkins;  "stop  and 
think;  don't  be  rash;  you  know  it's  the  only  chance 
we've  got  to  get  the  money;  and  besides,  the  Bible 
itself  says  posterity  to  the  fourth  generation  shall  be 
punished  for  the  sins  and  crimes  committed  by  ances 
tors  four  generations  back  that  hadn't  anything  to  do 
with  them;  and  so  it's  only  fair  to  turn  the  rule  around 
and  make  it  work  both  ways." 

The  Colonel  was  struck  with  the  strong  logic  of  this 
position.  He  strode  up  and  down,  and  thought  it 
painfully  over.  Finally  he  said: 

"  There's  reason  in  it;  yes,  there's  reason  in  it.  And 
so,  although  it  seems  a  piteous  thing  to  sweat  this  poor 
ancient  devil  for  a  burglary  he  hadn't  the  least  hand  in, 
still  if  duty  commands  I  suppose  we  must  give  him  up 
to  the  authorities." 

"  /would,"  said  Hawkins,  cheered  and  relieved,  "  I'd 
give  him  up  if  he  was  a  thousand  ancestors  compacted 
into  one." 

"  Lord  bless  me,  that's  just  what  he  is,"  said  Sellers, 
with  something  like  a  groan,  "it's  exactly  what  he  is; 
there's  a  contribution  in  him  from  every  ancestor  he 
ever  had.  In  him  there's  atoms  of  priests,  soldiers, 
crusaders,  poets,  and  sweet  and  gracious  women — all 
lands  and  conditions  of  folk  who  trod  this  earth  in  old, 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  195 

old  centuries,  and  vanished  out  of  it  ages  ago,  and  now 
by  act  of  ours  they  are  summoned  from  their  holy 
peace  to  answer  for  gutting  a  one-horse  bank  away 
out  on  the  borders  of  Cherokee  Strip,  and  it's  just  a 
howling  outrage  !  " 

"  Oh,  don't  talk  like  that,  Colonel;  it  takes  the  heart 
all  out  of  me,  and  makes  me  ashamed  of  the  part  I  am 
proposing  to— 

"  Wait — I've  got  it !  " 

l<  A  saving  hope  ?     Shout  it  out,  I  am  perishing." 

"It's  perfectly  simple;  a  child  would  have  thought 
of  it.  He  is  all  right,  not  a  flaw  in  him,  as  far  as  I 
have  carried  the  work.  If  I've  been  able  to  bring  him 
as  far  as  the  beginning  of  this  century,  what's  to  stop 
me  now  ?  I'll  go  on  and  materialize  him  down  to  date." 

"  Land,  I  never  thought  of  that !  "  said  Hawkins  all 
ablaze  with  joy  again.  "  It's  the  very  thing.  What  a 
brain  you  have  got !  And  will  he  shed  the  superfluous 
arm  ?  " 

"He  will." 

"  And  lose  his  English  accent  ?  " 

"  It  will  wholly  disappear.  He  will  speak  Cherokee 
Strip — and  other  forms  of  profanity." 

"  Colonel,  maybe  he'll  confess  !  " 

"  Confess  ?     Merely  that  bank  robbery  ?  " 

"  Merely  ?     Yes,  but  why  '  merely  '  ?  " 

The  Colonel  said  in  his  most  impressive  manner: 

"  Hawkins,  he  will  be  wholly  under  my  command. 
I  will  make  him  confess  every  crime  he  ever  com 
mitted.  There  must  be  a  thousand.  Do  you  get  the 
idea  ? " 

"Well— not  quite." 


I  96  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"  The  rewards  will  come  to  us." 

"  Prodigious  conception  !  I  never  saw  such  a  head 
for  seeing  with  a  lightning  glance  all  the  outlying  rami 
fications  and  possibilities  of  a  central  idea." 

"It  is  nothing;  it  comes  natural  to  me.  When  his 
time  is  out  in  one  jail  he  goes  to  the  next  and  the  next, 
and  we  shall  have  nothing  to  do  but  collect  the  re 
wards  as  he  goes  along.  It  is  a  perfectly  steady  in 
come  as  long  as  we  live,  Hawkins.  And  much  better 
than  other  kinds  of  investments,  because  he  is  inde 
structible." 

"  It  looks — it  really  does  look  the  way  you  say;  it 
does  indeed." 

"Look? — why  it  is.  It  will  not  be  denied  that  I 
have  had  a  pretty  wide  and  comprehensive  financial 
experience,  and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  I  consider 
this  one  of  the  most  valuable  properties  I  have  ever 
controlled." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  " 

"  I  do,  indeed." 

11  O,  Colonel,  the  wasting  grind  and  grief  of  poverty ! 
If  we  could  realize  immediately.  I  don't  mean  sell  it 
all,  but  sell  part — enough,  you  know,  to — " 

"See  how  you  tremble  with  excitement.  That 
comes  of  lack  of  experience.  My  boy,  when  you  have 
been  familiar  with  vast  operations  as  long  as  I  have, 
you'll  be  different.  Look  at  me;  is  my  eye  dilated  ?  do 
you  notice  a  quiver  anywhere  ?  Feel  my  pulse:  plunk 
— plunk — plunk — same  as  if  I  were  asleep.  And  yet, 
what  is  passing  through  my  calm  cold  mind  ?  A  pro 
cession  of  figures  which  would  make  a  financial  novice 
drunk — just  the  sight  of  them.  Now  it  is  by  keeping 


THE   AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  197 

cool,  and  looking  at  a  thing  all  around,  that  a  man 
sees  what's  really  in  it,  and  saves  himself  from  the 
novice's  unfailing  mistake— the  one  you've  just  sug 
gested — eagerness  to  realize.  Listen  to  me.  Your 
idea  is  to  sell  a  part  of  him  for  ready  cash.  Now  mine 
is — guess." 

"  I  haven't  an  idea.     What  is  it  ?  " 
"  Stock  him — of  course." 

"  Well,  I  should  never  have  thought  of  that." 
"  Because  you  are  not  a  financier.     Say  he  has  com 
mitted  a  thousand  crimes.     Certainly  that's  a  low  esti 
mate.     By  the  look  of  him,  even  in  his  unfinished  con 
dition,  he  has  committed  all  of  a  million.     But  call  it 
only  a  thousand  to  be  perfectly  safe;  five  thousand 
reward,  multiplied  by  a  thousand,  gives  us  a  dead  sure 
cash  basis  of— what  ?     Five  million  dollars  !  " 
"  Wait — let  me  get  my  breath." 

"  And  the  property  indestructible.  Perpetually 
fruitful — perpetually;  for  a  property  with  his  disposi 
tion  will  go  on  committing  crimes  and  winning  re 
wards." 

"  You  daze  me,  you  make  my  head  whirl  !  " 
"  Let  it  whirl,  it  won't  do  it  any  harm.  Now  that 
matter  is  all  fixed — leave  it  alone.  I'll  get  up  the  com 
pany  and  issue  the  stock,  all  in  good  time.  Just  leave 
it  in  my  hands.  I  judge  you  don't  doubt  my  ability  to 
work  it  up  for  all  it  is  worth." 

"  Indeed  I  don't.     I  can  say  that  with  truth." 

"  All  right,  then.     That's  disposed  of.     Everything 

in  its  turn.     We  old  operators  go  by  order  and  system 

—no  helter-skelter  business  with  us.     What's  the  next 

thing  on    the  docket  ?     The  carrying  on  of  the  mate- 


198  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

rialization — the  bringing  it  down  to  date.  I  will  begin 
on  that  at  once.  I  think — " 

44  Look  here,  Rossmore.  You  didn't  lock  It  in.  A 
hundred  to  one  it  has  escaped  !  " 

"  Calm  yourself,  as  to  that;  don't  give  yourself  any 
uneasiness." 

44  But  why  shouldn't  it  escape  ?  " 

"  Let  it,  if  it  wants  to  ?     What  of  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  /should  consider  it  a  pretty  serious  calamity." 

14  Why,  my  dear  boy,  once  in  my  power,  always  in  my 
power.  It  may  go  and  come  freely.  I  can  produce  it 
here  whenever  I  want  it,  just  by  the  exercise  of  my  will." 

44  Well,  I  am  truly  glad  to  hear  that,  I  do  assure  you." 

44  Yes,  I  shall  give  it  all  the  painting  it  wants  to  do, 
and  we  and  the  family  will  make  it  as  comfortable  and 
contented  as  we  can.  No  occasion  to  restrain  its 
movements.  I  hope  to  persuade  it  to  remain  pretty 
quiet,  though,  because  a  materialization  which  is  in  a 
state  of  arrested  development  must  of  necessity  be 
pretty  soft  and  flabby  and  substanceless,  and — er — by 
the  way,  I  wonder  where  It  comes  from  ?  " 

"  How  ?     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

The  earl  pointed  significantly — and  interrogatively — 
toward  the  sky.  Hawkins  started;  then  settled  into 
deep  reflection;  finally  shook  his  head  sorrowfully  and 
pointed  downwards. 

"  What  makes  you  think  so,  Washington  ?" 

"  Well,  I  hardly  know,  but  really  you  can  see,  your 
self,  that  he  doesn't  seem  to  be  pining  for  his  last  place." 

"  It's  well  thought !  Soundly  deduced.  We've  done 
that  Thing  a  favor.  But  I  believe  I  will  pump  it  a 
little,  in  a  quiet  way,  and  find  out  if  we  are  right." 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


I99 


4<  How  long  is  it  going  to  take  to  finish  him  off  and 
fetch  him  down  to  date,  Colonel  ? " 

"  I  wish  I  knew,  but  I  don't.  I  am  clear  knocked 
out  by  this  new  detail — this  unforeseen  necessity  of 
working  a  subject  down  gradually  from  his  condition 
of  ancestor  to  his  ultimate  result  as  posterity.  But  I'll 
make  him  hump  himself,  anyway." 

"  Rossmore  !  " 

"  Yes,  dear.  We're  in  the  laboratory.  Come — Haw 
kins  is  here.  Mind,  now  Hawkins  —  he's  a  sound, 
living,  human  being  to  all  the  family — don't  forget  that. 
Here  she  comes." 

"  Keep  your  seats,  I'm  not  coming  in.  I  just  wanted 
to  ask,  who  is  it  that's  painting  down  there  ? " 

''That?  Oh,  that's  a  young  artist;  young  English 
man,  named  Tracy;  very  promising  —  favorite  pupil 
of  Hans  Christian  Andersen  or  one  of  the  other  old  mas 
ters — Andersen  I'm  pretty  sure  it  is;  he's  going  to  half- 
sole  some  of  our  old  Italian  masterpieces.  Been  talk 
ing  to  him  ?" 

"Well,  only  a  word.  I  stumbled  right  in  on  him 
without  expecting  anybody  was  there.  I  tried  to  be 
polite  to  him;  offered  him  a  snack  " — (Sellers  delivered 
a  large  wink  to  Hawkins  from  behind  his  hand),  "  but 
he  declined,  and  said  he  wasn't  hungry"  (another  sar 
castic  wink);  "so  I  brought  some  apples"  (double 
wink),  "and  he  ate  a  couple  of— 

"  What  !  "  and  the  colonel  sprang  some  yards 
toward  the  ceiling  and  came  down  quaking  with  aston 
ishment. 

Lady  Rossmore  was  smitten  dumb  with  amazement. 
She  gazed  at  the  sheepish  relic  of  Cherokee  Strip,  then 


2OO  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

at  her  husband,  and  then  at  the  guest  again.  Finally 
she  said — 

44  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  Mulberry?" 

He  did  not  answer  immediately.  His  back  was 
turned;  he  was  bending  over  his  chair,  feeling  the  seat 
of  it.  But  he  answered  next  moment,  and  said — 

"  Ah,  there  it  is;  it  was  a  tack." 

The  lady  contemplated  him  doubtfully  a  moment, 
then  said,  pretty  snappishly — 

"All  that  for  a  tack  !  Praise  goodness  it  wasn't  a 
shingle  nail,  it  would  have  landed  you  in  the  Milky 
Way.  I  do  hate  to  have  my  nerves  shook  up  so."  And 
she  turned  on  her  heel  and  went  her  way. 

As  soon  as  she  was  safely  out,  the  Colonel  said,  in  a 
suppressed  voice— 

"  Come — we  must  see  for  ourselves.  It  must  be  a 
mistake." 

They  hurried  softly  down  and  peeped  in.  Sellers 
whispered,  in  a  sort  of  despair — 

"  It  is  eating  !  What  a  grisly  spectacle  !  Hawkins 
it's  horrible  !  Take  me  away — I  can't  stand  it." 

They  tottered  back  to  the  laboratory. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

TRACY  made  slow  progress  with  his  work,  for  his  mind 
wandered  a  good  deal.  Many  things  were  puzzling 
him.  Finally  a  light  burst  upon  him  all  of  a  sudden- 
seemed  to,  at  any  rate — and  he  said  to  himself,  "  I've 
got  the  clew  at  last — this  man's  mind  is  off  its  balance; 
I  don't  know  how  much,  but  it's  off  a  point  or  two, 
sure;  off  enough  to  explain  this  mess  of  perplexities, 
anyway.  These  dreadful  chromos — which  he  takes  for 
old  masters  ;  these  villainous  portraits — which  to  his 
frantic  mind  represent  Rossmores ;  the  hatchments; 
the  pompous  name  of  this  ramshackle  old  crib — Ross- 
more  Towers  ;  and  that  odd  assertion  of  his,  that  I  was 
expected.  How  could  I  be  expected  ?  that  is,  Lord 
Berkeley.  He  knows  by  the  papers  that  that  person 
was  burned  up  in  the  New  Gadsby.  Why,  hang  it,  he 
really  doesn't  know  who  he  was  expecting;  for  his  talk 
showed  that  he  was  not  expecting  an  Englishman,  or 
yet  an  artist,  yet  I  answer  his  requirements  notwith 
standing.  He  seems  sufficiently  satisfied  with  me. 
Yes,  he  is  a  little  off;  in  fact  I  am  afraid  he  is  a  good 
deal  off,  poor  old  gentleman.  But  he's  interesting — all 
people  in  about  his  condition  are,  I  suppose.  I  hope 
he'll  like  my  work;  I  would  like  to  come  every  day  and 
study  him.  And  when  I  write  my  father — ah,  that 
hurts!  I  mustn't  get  on  that  subject;  it  isn't  good  for  my 
spirits.  Somebody  coming — I  must  get  to  work.  It's 


2O2  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

the  old  gentleman  again.  He  looks  bothered.  Maybe 
my  clothes  are  suspicious;  and  they  are — for  an  artist. 
If  my  conscience  would  allow  me  to  make  a  change,— 
but  that  is  out  of  the  question.  I  wonder  what  he's 
making  those  passes  in  the  air  for,  with  his  hands.  I 
seem  to  be  the  object  of  them.  Can  he  be  trying  to 
mesmerize  me  ?  I  don't  quite  like  it.  There's  some 
thing  uncanny  about  it." 

The  colonel  muttered  to  himself,  "  It  has  an  effect 
on  him,  I  can  see  it  myself.  That's  enough  for  one 
tyne,  I  reckon.  He's  not  very  solid,  yet,  I  suppose, 
and  I  might  disintegrate  him.  I'll  just  put  a  sly  ques 
tion  or  two  at  him,  now,  and  see  if  I  can  find  out  what 
his  condition  is,  and  where  he's  from." 

He  approached  and  said  affably — 

"Don't  let  me  disturb  you,  Mr.  Tracy;  I  only  want 
to  take  a  little  glimpse  of  your  work.  Ah,  that's  fine — 
that's  very  fine  indeed.  You  are  doing  it  elegantly. 
My  daughter  will  be  charmed  with  this.  May  I  sit 
down  by  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  do;  I  shall  be  glad." 

"  It  won't  disturb  you  ?  I  mean,  won't  dissipate  your 
inspirations  ? " 

Tracy  laughed  and  said  they  were  not  ethereal 
enough  to  be  very  easily  discommoded. 

The  colonel  asked  a  number  of  cautious  and  well- 
considered  questions — questions  which  seemed  pretty 
odd  and  flighty  to  Tracy — but  the  answers  conveyed 
the  information  desired,  apparently,  for  the  colonel 
said  to  himself,  with  mixed  pride  and  gratification — 

"  It's  a  good  job  as  far  as  I've  got  with  it.  He's 
solid.  Solid  and  going  to  last;  solid  as  the  real  thing. 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

It's  wonderful — wonderful.  I  believe  I  could  petrify 
him." 

After  a  little  he  asked,  warily  : 

"Do  you  prefer  being  here,  or — or  there  ?" 

"There?     Where?" 

"  Why — er — where  you've  been  ?  " 

Tracy's  thought  flew  to  his  boarding-house,  and  he 
answered  with  decision — 

"  Oh,  here^  much  !  " 

The  colonel  was  startled,  and  said  to  himself,"  There's 
no  uncertain  ring  about  that.  It  indicates  where  he's 
been  to,  poor  fellow.  Well,  I  am  satisfied,  now.  I'm 
glad  I  got  him  out." 

He  sat  thinking,  and  thinking,  and  watching  the 
brush  go.  At  length  he  said  to  himself,  "  Yes,  it  cer 
tainly  seems  to  account  for  the  failure  of  my  endeavors 
in  poor  Berkeley's  case.  He  went  in  the  other  direction. 
Well,  it's  all  right.  He's  better  off." 

Sally  Sellers  entered  from  the  street,  now,  looking 
her  divinest,  and  the  artist  was  introduced  to  her.  It 
was  a  violent  case  of  mutual  love  at  first  sight,  though 
neither  party  was  entirely  aware  of  the  fact,  perhaps. 
The  Englishman  made  this  irrelevant  remark  to  himseK, 
"Perhaps  he  is  not  insane,  after  all."  Sally  sat  down, 
and  showed  an  interest  in  Tracy's  work  which  greatly 
pleased  him,  and  a  benevolent  forgiveness  of  it  which 
convinced  him  that  the  girl's  nature  was  cast  in  a  large 
mould.  Sellers  was  anxious  to  report  his  discoveries  to 
Hawkins;  so  he  took  his  leave,  saying  that  if  the  two 
"young  devotees  of  the  colored  Muse"  thought  they 
could  manage  without  him,  he  would  go  and  look  after 
his  affairs.  The  artist  said  to  himself,  "I  think  he  is  a 


2D4 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


.little  eccentric,  perhaps,  but  that  is  all."  He  reproach 
ed  himself  for  having  injuriously  judged  a  man  without 
giving  him  any  fair  chance  to  show  what  he  really  was. 
Of  course  the  stranger  was  very  soon  at  his  ease  and 
chatting  along  comfortabdy.  The  average  American 


IT   WAS    A   VIOLENT   CASE    OF   MUTUAL   LOVE   AT   FIRST   SIGHT. 

girl  possesses  the  valuable  qualities  of  naturalness, 
honesty,  and  inoffensive  straightforwardness;  she  is 
nearly  barren  of  troublesome  conventions  and  arti 
ficialities,  consequently  her  presence  and  her  ways  arc 
unembarrassing,  and  one  is  acquainted  with  her  and  on 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  205 

the  pleasantest  terms  with  her  before  he  knows  how  it 
came  about.  This  new  acquaintanceship — friendship, 
indeed — progressed  swiftly;  and  the  unusual  swiftness 
of  it,  and  the  thoroughness  of  it  are  sufficiently  evidenced 
and  established  by  one  noteworthy  fact — that  within 
the  first  half  hour  both  parties  had  ceased  to  be  con 
scious  of  Tracy's  clothes.  Later  this  consciousness  was 
re-awakened;  it  was  then  apparent  to  Gwendolen  that 
she  was  almost  reconciled  to  them,  and  it  was  apparent 
to  Tracy  that  he  wasn't.  The  re-awakening  was  brought 
about  by  Gwendolen's  inviting  the  artist  to  stay  to  din 
ner.  He  had  to  decline,  because  he  wanted  to  live,  now 
— that  is,  now  that  there  was  something  to  live  for — and 
he  could  not  survive  in  those  clothes  at  a  gentleman's 
table.  He  thought  he  knew  that.  But  he  went  away 
happy,  for  he  saw  that  Gwendolen  was  disappointed. 

And  whither  did  he  go  ?  He  went  straight  to  a  slop 
shop  and  bought  as  neat  and  reasonably  well-fitting  a 
suit  of  clothes  as  an  Englishman  could  be  persuaded  to 
wear.  He  said — to  himself,  but  at  his  conscience — "  I 
know  it's  wrong;  but  it  would  be  wrong  not  to  do  it; 
and  two  wrongs  do  not  make  a  right." 

This  satisfied  him,  and  made  his  heart  light.  Perhaps 
it  will  also  satisfy  the  reader — if  he  can  make  out  what 
it  means. 

The  old  people  were  troubled  about  Gwendolen  at 
dinner,  because  she  was  so  distraught  and  silent.  If 
they  had  noticed,  they  would  have  found  that  she  was 
sufficiently  alert  and  interested  whenever  the  talk 
stumbled  upon  the  artist  and  his  work;  but  they  didn't 
notice,  and  so  the  chat  would  swap  around  to  some 
other  subject,  and  then  somebody  would  presently  be 


2O6  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT'. 

privately  worrying  about  Gwendolen  again,  and  won 
dering  if  she  were  not  well,  or  if  something  had  gone 
wrong  in  the  millinery  line.  Her  mother  offered  her 
various  reputable  patent  medicines,  and  tonics  with  iron 
and  other  hardware  in  them,  and  her  father  even  pro 
posed  to  send  out  for  wine,  relentless  prohibitionist  and 
head  of  the  order  in  the  District  of  Columbia  as  he  was, 
but  these  kindnesses  were  all  declined — thankfully,  but 
with  decision.  At  bedtime,  when  the  family  were 
breaking  up  for  the  night,  she  privately  looted  one  of 
the  brushes,  saying  to  herself,  "  It's  the  one  he  has  used 
the  most." 

The  next  morning  Tracy  went  forth  wearing  his  new 
suit,  and  equipped  with  a  pink  in  his  button-hole — a 
daily  attention  from  Puss.  His  whole  soul  was  full  of 
Gwendolen  Sellers,  and  this  condition  was  an  inspira 
tion,  art-wise.  All  the  morning  his  brush  pawed  nimbly 
away  at  the  canvases,  almost  without  his  awarity — 
awarity,  in  this  sense  being  the  sense  of  being  aware, 
though  disputed  by  some  authorities — turning  out 
marvel  upon  marvel,  in  the  way  of  decorative  accesj 
series  to  the  portraits,  with  a  felicity  and  celerity  which 
amazed  the  veterans  of  the  firm  and  fetched  out  of  thefti 
continuous  explosions  of  applause. 

Meantime  Gwendolen  was  losing  her  morning,  and 
many  dollars.  She  supposed  Tracy  was  coming  in  the 
forenoon — a  conclusion  which  she  had  jumped  to  with 
out  outside  help.  So  she  tripped  down  stairs  every 
little  while  from  her  work-parlor  to  arrange  the  brushes 
and  things  over  again,  and  see  if  he  had  arrived.  And 
when  she  was  in  her  work-parlor  it  was  not  profitable, 
but  just  the  other  way — as  she  found  out  to  her  sorrow. 


THE  AMERICA*  CLAIMANT.  2O/ 

She  had  put  in  her  idle  moments  during  the  last  little 
while  back,  in  designing  a  particularly  rare  and  capa- 
.ble  gown  for  herself,  and  this  morning  she  set  about 
making  it  up;  but  she  was  absent  minded,  and  made 
an  irremediable  botch  of  it.  When  she  saw  what  she 
had  done,  she  knew  the  reason  of  it  and  the  meaning 
of  it;  and  she  put  her  work  away  from  her  and  said  she 
would  accept  the  sign.  And  from  that  time  forth  she 
came  no  more  away  from  the  Audience  Chamber,  but 
remained  there  and  waited.  After  luncheon  she 
waited  again.  A  whole  hour.  Then  a  great  joy  welled 
up  in  her  heart,  for  she  saw  him  coming.  So  she  flew 
back  up  stairs  thankful,  and  could  hardly  wait  for  him 
to  miss  the  principal  brush,  which  she  had  mislaid 
down  there,  but  knew  where  she  had  mislaid  it.  How 
ever,  all  in  good  time  the  others  were  called  in  and 
couldn't  find  the  brush,  and  then  she  was  sent  for,  and 
she  couldn't  find  it  herself  for  some  little  time;  but 
then  she  found  it  when  the  others  had  gone  away  to 
hunt  in  the  kitchen  and  down  cellar  and  in  the  wood 
shed,  and  all  those  other  places  where  people  look  for 
things  whose  ways  they  are  not  familiar  with.  So  she 
gave  him  the  brush,  and  remarked  that  she  ought  to 
have  seen  that  everything  was  ready  for  him,  but  it 
hadn't  seemed  necessary,  because  it  was  so  early  that 
she  wasn't  expecting — but  she  stopped  there,  surprised 
at  herself  for  what  she  was  saying;  and  he  felt  caught 
and  ashamed,  and  said  to  himself,  "  I  knew  my  impa 
tience  would  drag  me  here  before  I  was  expected,  and 
betray  me,  and  that  is  just  what  it  has  done;  she  sees 
straight  through  me — and  is  laughing  at  me,  inside,  of 
course." 


2O8  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

Gwendolen  was  very  much  pleased,  on  one  account, 
and  a  little  the  other  way  in  another;  pleased  with  the 
new  clothes  and  the  improvement  which  they  had 
achieved;  less  pleased  by  the  pink  in  the  buttonhole. 
Yesterday's  pink  had  hardly  interested  her;  this  one 
was  just  like  it,  but  somehow  it  had  got  her  immediate 
attention,  and  kept  it.  She  wished  she  could  think  of 
some  way  of  getting  at  its  history  in  a  properly  color 
less  and  indifferent  way.  Presently  she  made  a  ven 
ture.  She  said — 

"  Whatever  a  man's  age  may  be,  he  can  reduce  it 
several  years  by  putting  a  bright-colored  flower  in  his 
button-hole.  I  have  often  noticed  that.  Is  that  your 
sex's  reason  for  wearing  a  botitonniere  ? " 

"  I  fancy  not,  but  certainly  that  reason  would  be 
a  sufficient  one.  I've  never  heard  of  the  idea  before." 

"  You  seem  to  prefer  pinks.  Is  it  on  account  of  the 
color,  or  the  form  ?" 

"  Oh  no,"  he  said,  simply,  "  they  are  given  to  me.  I 
don't  think  I  have  any  preference." 

"  They  are  given  to  him,"  she  said  to  herself,  and 
she  felt  a  coldness  toward  that  pink.  "  I  wonder  who 
it  is,  and  what  she  is  like."  The  flower  began  to  take 
up  a  good  deal  of  room;  it  obtruded  itself  everywhere, 
it  intercepted  all  views,  and  marred  them;  it  was  be 
coming  exceedingly  annoying  and  conspicuous  for  a 
little  thing.  "  I  wonder  if  he  cares  for  her."  That 
thought  gave  her  a  quite  definite  pain. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

SHE  had  made  everything  comfortable  for  the  artist; 
there  was  no  further  pretext  for  staying.  So  she  said 
she  would  go,  now,  and  asked  him  to  summon  the 
servants  in  case  he  should  need  anything.  She  went 
away  unhappy;  and  she  left  unhappiness  behind  her; 
for  she  carried  away  all  the  sunshine.  The  time 
dragged  heavily  for  both,  now.  He  couldn't  paint  for 
thinking  of  her;  she  couldn't  design  or  millinerize  with 
any  heart,  for  thinking  of  him.  Never  before  had 
painting  seemed  so  empty  to  him,  never  before  had 
millinerizing  seemed  so  void  of  interest  to  her.  She 
had  gone  without  repeating  that  dinner-invitation — an 
almost  unendurable  disappointment  to  him.  On  her 
part — well,  she  was  suffering,  too;  for  she  had  found 
she  couldnt  invite  him.  It  was  not  hard  yesterday, 
but  it  was  impossible  to-day.  A  thousand  innocent 
privileges  seemed  to  have  been  filched  from  her  un 
awares  in  the  past  twenty-four  hours.  To-day  she  felt 
strangely  hampered,  restrained  of  her  liberty.  To-day 
she  couldn't  propose  to  herself  to  do  anything  or  say 
anything  concerning  this  young  man  without  being  in 
stantly  paralyzed  into  non-action  by  the  fear  that  he 
might  ''suspect."  Invite  him  to  dinner  to-day  f  It 
made  her  shiver  to  think  of  it. 

209 


210 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


And  so  her  afternoon  was  one  long  fret.  Broken  at 
intervals.  Three  times  she  had  to  go  down  stairs  on 
errands- — that  is,  she  thought  she  had  to  go  down 
stairs  on  errands.  Thus,  going  and  coming,  she  had 
six  glimpses  of  him,  in  the  aggregate,  without  seem 
ing  to  look  in  his  direction;  and  she  tried  to  endure 
thes^e  electric  ecstasies  without  showing  any  sign,  but 


"  TIME  DRAGGED  HEAVILY  FOR  BOTH,   NOW. 

they  fluttered  her  up  a  good  deal,  and  she  felt  that  the 
naturalness  she  was  putting  on  was  overdone  and  quite 
too  frantically  sober  and  hysterically  calm  to  deceive. 
The  painter  had  his  share  of  the  rapture;  he  had  his 
six  glimpses,  and  they  smote  him  with  waves  of  pleas 
ure  that  assaulted  him,  beat  upon  him,  washed  over 
him  deliciously,  and  drowned  out  all  consciousness  of 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  2  I  I 

what  he  was  doing  with  his  brush.  So  there  were  six 
places  in  his  canvas  which  had  to  be  done  over  again. 

At  last  Gwendolen  got  some  peace  of  mind  by  send 
ing  word  to  the  Thompsons,  in  the  neighborhood, 
that  she  was  coming  there  to  dinner.  She  wouldn't  be 
reminded,  at  that  table,  that  there  was  an  absentee 
who  ought  to  be  a  presentee — a  word  which  she  meant 
to  look  out  in  the  dictionary  at  a  calmer  time. 

About  this  time  the  old  earl  dropped  in  for  a  chat 
with  the  artist,  and  invited  him  to  stay  to  dinner. 
Tracy  cramped  down  his  joy  and  gratitude  by  a  sud 
den  and  powerful  exercise  of  all  his  forces;  and  he  felt 
that  now  that  he  was  going  to  be  close  to  Gwendolen, 
and  hear  her  voice  and  watch  her  face  during  several 
precious  hours,  earth  had  nothing  valuable  to  add  to 
his  life  for  the  present. 

The  earl  said  to  himself,  "This  spectre  can  eat  ap 
ples,  apparently.  We  shall  find  out,  now,  if  that  is  a 
specialty.  I  think,,  myself,  it's  a  specialty.  Apples, 
without  doubt,  constitute  the  spectral  limit.  It  was  the 
case  with  our  first  parents.  No,  I  am  wrong — at  least 
only  partly  right.  The  line  was  drawn  at  apples,  just 
as  in  the  present  case,  but  it  was  from  the  other  direc 
tion."  The  new  clothes  gave  him  a  thrill  of  pleasure 
and  pride.  He  said  to  himself,  "  I've  got  part  of  him 
down  to  date,  anyway." 

Sellers  said  he  was  pleased  with  Tracy's  work;  and 
he  went  on  and  engaged  him  to  restore  his  old  mas 
ters,  and  said  he  should  also  want  him  to  paint  his 
portrait  and  his  wife's  and  possibly  his  daughter's. 
The  tide  of  the  artist's  happiness  was  at  flood,  now. 
The  chat  flowed  pleasantly  along  while  Tracy  painted 


2  I  2  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

and  Sellers  carefully  unpacked  a  picture  which  he  had 
brought  with  him.  It  was  a  chromo;  a  new  one,  just 
out.  It  was  the  smirking,  self-satisfied  portrait  of  a 
man  who  was  inundating  the  Union  with  advertise 
ments  inviting  everybody  to  buy  his  specialty,  which 
was  a  three-dollar  shoe  or  a  dress-suit  or  something  of 
that  kind.  The  old  gentleman  rested  the  chromo  flat 
upon  his  lap  and  gazed  down  tenderly  upon  it,  and  be 
came  silent  and  meditative.  Presently  Tracy  noticed 
that  he  was  dripping  tears  on  it.  This  touched  the 
young  fellow's  sympathetic  nature,  and  at  the  same 
time  gave  him  the  painful  sense  of  being  an  intruder 
upon  a  sacred  privacy,  an  observer  of  emotions  which 
a  stranger  ought  not  to  witness.  But  his  pity  rose 
superior  to  other  considerations,  and  compelled  him 
to  try  to  comfort  the  old  mourner  with  kindly  words 
and  a  show  of  friendly  interest.  He  said— 

"  I  am  very  sorry — is  it  a  friend  whom — 

"  Ah,  more  than  that,  far  more  than  that — a  relative, 
the  dearest  I  had  on  earth,  although  I  was  never  per 
mitted  to  see  him.  Yes,  it  is  young  Lord  Berkeley, 
who  perished  so  heroically  in  the  awful  confla — why, 
what  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing,  nothing.  It  was  a  little  startling  to 
be  so  suddenly  brought  face  to  face,  so  to  speak,  with 
a  person  one  has  heard  so  much  talk  about.  Is  it  a 
good  likeness  ? " 

"  Without  doubt,  yes.  I  never  saw  him,  but  you  can 
easily  see  the  resemblance  to  his  father,"  said  Sellers, 
holding  up  the  chromo  and  glancing  from  it  to  the 
chromo  misrepresenting  the  Usurping  Earl  and  back 
again  with  an  approving  eye. 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  2  I  3 

"  Well,  no — I  am  not  sure  that  I  make  out  the  like 
ness.  It  is  plain  that  the  Usurping  Earl  there  has  a 
great  deal  of  character  and  a  long  face  like  a  horse's, 
whereas  his  heir  here  is  smirky,  moon-faced  and  char 
acterless." 

"  We  are  all  that  way  in  the  beginning — all  the  line," 
said  Sellers,  undisturbed.  "We  all  start  as  moon 
faced  fools,  then  later  we  tadpole  along  into  horse- 
faced  marvels  of  intellect  and  character.  It  is  by  that 
sign  and  by  that  fact  that  I  detect  the  resemblance 
here  and  know  this  portrait  to  be  genuine  and  perfect. 
Yes,  all  our  family  are  fools  at  first." 

"  This  young  man  seems  to  meet  the  hereditary  re 
quirement,  certainly." 

"Yes,  yes,  he  was  a  fool,  without  any  doubt.  Ex 
amine  the  face,  the  shape  of  the  head,  the  expression. 
It's  all  fool,  fool,  fool,  straight  through." 

"  Thanks,"  said  Tracy,  involuntarily. 

11  Thanks  ?  " 

"  I  mean  for  explaining  it  to  me.     Go  on,  please." 

"As  I  was  saying,  fool  is  printed  all  over  the  face. 
A  body  can  even  read  the  </<?tails." 

"  What  do  they  say  ?  " 

"Well,  added  up,  he  is  a  wobbler." 

"A  which?" 

"Wobbler.  A  person  that's  always  taking  a  firm 
stand  about  something  or  other — kind  of  a  Gibraltar 
stand,  he  thinks,  for  unshakable  fidelity  and  everlast- 
ingness — and  then,  inside  of  a  little  while,  he  begins  to 
wobble;  no  more  Gibraltar  there;  no,  sir,  a  mighty 
ordinary  commonplace  weakling  wobbling  around  on 
stilts.  That's  Lord  Berkeley  to  a  dot,  you  can  see  it — 


214  THE  A  ME  RICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT. 

look  at  that  sheep  !  But, — why  are  you  blushing  like 
sunset !  Dear  sir,  have  I  unwittingly  offended  in  some 
way  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  indeed,  no  indeed.  Far  from  it.  But  it  always 
makes  me  blush  to  hear  a  man  revile  his  own  blood." 
He  said  to  himself,  <4  How  strangely  his  vagrant  and 
unguided  fancies  have  hit  upon  the  truth.  By  accident, 
he  has  described  me.  I  am  that  contemptible  thing. 
When  I  left  England  I  thought  I  knew  myself;  I  thought 
I  was  a  very  Frederick  the  Great  for  resolution  and 
staying  capacity;  whereas  in  truth  I  am  just  a  Wobbler, 
simply  a  Wobbler.  Well — after  all,  it  is  at  least  credit 
able  to  have  high  ideals  and  give  birth  to  lofty  resolu 
tions;  I  will  allow  myself  that  comfort."  Then  he 
said,  aloud,  "  Could  this  sheep,  as  you  call  him,  breed 
a  great  and  self-sacrificing  idea  in  his  head,  do  you 
think  ?  Could  he  meditate  such  a  thing,  for  instance, 
as  the  renunciation  of  the  earldom  and  its  wealth  and 
its  glories,  and  voluntary  retirement  to  the  ranks  of  the 
commonalty,  there  to  rise  by  his  own  merit  or  remain 
forever  poor  and  obscure  ?  " 

"  Could  he  ?  Why,  look  at  him — look  at  this  sim 
pering  self-righteous  mug  !  There  is  your  answer. 
It's  the  very  thing  he  would  think  of.  And  he  would 
start  in  to  do  it,  too." 

"And  then?" 

"  He'd  wobble." 

"  And  back  down  ?" 

"  Every  time." 

"  Is  that  to  happen  with  all  my — I  mean  would  that 
happen  to  all  his  high  resolutions  ?  " 

"  Oh  certainly — certainly.     It's  the  Rossmore  of  it." 


TffE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  2  I  5 

"  Then  this  creature  was  fortunate  to  die  !  Suppose, 
for  argument's  sake,  that  I  was  a  Rossmore,  and — 

"  It  can't  be  done." 

"Why  ?" 

"  Because  it's  not  a  supposable  case.  To  be  a  Ross- 
more  at  your  age,  you'd  have  to  be  a  fool,  and  you're 
not  a  fool.  And  you'd  have  to  be  a  Wobbler,  whereas 
anybody  that  is  an  expert  in  reading  character  can  see 
at  a  glance  that  when  you  set  your  foot  down  once, 
it's  there  to  stay;  an  earthquake  can't  wobble  it."  He 
added  to  himself,  "That's  enough  to  say  to  him,  but 
it  isn't  half  strong  enough  for  the  facts.  The  more  I 
observe  him,  now,  the  more  remarkable  I  find  him. 
It  is  the  strongest  face  I  have  ever  examined.  There 
is  almost  superhuman  firmness  here,  immovable  pur 
pose,  iron  steadfastness  of  will.  A  most  extraordinary 
young  man." 

He  presently  said,  aloud — 

"  Some  time  I  want  to  ask  your  advice  about  a  little 
matter,  Mr.  Tracy.  You  see,-  I've  got  that  young 
lord's  remains — my  goodness,  how  you  jump  !  " 

"  Oh,  it's  nothing,  pray  go  on.  You've  got  his  re 
mains  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Are  you  sure  they  are  his,  and  not  somebody 
else's  ? " 

"  Oh,  perfectly  sure.  Samples,  I  mean.  Not  all  of 
him." 

"  Samples  ?  " 

"Yes — in  baskets.  -Some  time  you  will  be  going 
home;  and  if  you  wouldn't  mind  taking  them  along — " 

"Who?     I?" 


2l6  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"  Yes — certainly.  I  don't  mean  now;  but  after  a 
while ;  after — but  look  here,  would  you  like  to  see  them  ?  " 

"  No  !  Most  certainly  not.    I  don't  want  to  see  them." 

"  O,  very  well.  I  only  thought — heyo,  where  are 
you  going,  dear  ?  " 

"  Out  to  dinner,  papa." 

Tracy  was  aghast.  The  colonel  said,  in  a  disap 
pointed  voice — 

"  Well,  I'm  sorry.  Sho,  I  didn't  know  she  was  going 
out,  Mr.  Tracy."  Gwendolen's  face  began  to  take  on 
a  sort  of  apprehensive  What-have-I-done  expression. 
"Three  old  people  to  one  young  one — well,  it  isn't  a 
good  team,  that's  a  fact."  Gwendolen's  face  betrayed 
a  dawning  hopefulness  and  she  said — with  a  tone  of 
reluctance  which  hadn't  the  hall-mark  on  it — 

"  If  you  prefer,  I  will  send  word  to  the  Thompsons 
that  I—" 

"  Oh,  is  it  the  Thompsons  ?  That  simplifies  it — sets 
everything  right.  We  can  fix  it  without  spoiling  your 
arrangements,  my  child.  You've  got  your  heart  set 
on—" 

"  But  papa,  I'd  just  as  soon  go  there  some  other — 

"  No — I  won't  have  it.  You  are  a  good  hard-working 
darling  child,  and  your  father  is  not  the  man  to  disap 
point  you  when  you — 

"  But  papa,  I—" 

"Go  along,  I  won't  hear  a  word.  We'll  get  along, 
dear." 

Gwendolen  was  ready  to  cry  with  vexation.  But 
there  was  nothing  to  do  but  start;  which  she  was 
about  to  do  when  her  father  hit  upon  an  idea  which 
filled  him  with  delight  because  it  so  deftly  covered  all 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT,  21  7 

the  difficulties  of  the  situation  and  made  things  smooth 
and  satisfactory: 

"  I've  got  it,  my  love,  so  that  you  won't  be  robbed  of 
your  holiday  and  at  the  same  time  we'll  be  pretty  satis 
factorily  fixed  for  a  good  time  here.  You  send  Belle 
Thompson  here — perfectly  beautiful  creature,  Tracy, 
per-fectly  beautiful;  I  want  you  to  see  that  girl;  why, 
you'll  just  go  mad;  you'll  go  mad  inside  of  a  minute; 
yes,  you  send  her  right  along,  Gwendolen,  and  tell  her 
— why,  she's  gone  !  "  He  turned — she  was  already 
passing  out  at  the  gate.  He  muttered,  "  I  wonder 
what's  the  matter;  I  don't  know  what  her  mouth's  do 
ing,  but  I  think  her  shoulders  are  swearing.  Well," 
said  Sellers  blithely  to  Tracy,  "  I  shall  miss  her — pa 
rents  always  miss  the  children  as  soon  as  they're  out  of 
sight,  it's  only  a  natural  and  wisely  ordained  partiality 
—but  you'll  be  all  right,  because  Miss  Belle  will  supply 
the  youthful  element  for  you  and  to  your  entire  con 
tent;  and  we  old  people  will  do  our  best,  too.  We 
shall  have  a  good  enough  time.  And  you'll  have  a 
chance  to  get  better  acquainted  with  Admiral  Hawkins. 
That's  a  rare  character,  Mr.  Tracy — one  of  the  rarest 
and  most  engaging  characters  the  world  has  produced. 
You'll  find  him  worth  studying.  I've  studied  him  ever 
since  he  was  a  child  and  have  always  found  him  de 
veloping.  I  really  consider  that  one  of  the  main  things 
that  has  enabled  me  to  master  the  difficult  science  of 
character-reading  was  the  livid  interest  I  always  felt  in 
that  boy  and  the  baffling  inscrutabilities  of  his  ways 
and  inspirations." 

Tracy  was  not  hearing  a  word.  His  spirits  were 
gone,  he  was  desolate. 


2l8  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"  Yes,  a  most  wonderful  character.  Concealment — 
that's  the  basis  of  it.  Always  the  first  thing  you  want 
to  do  is  to  find  the  keystone  a  man's  character  is  built 
on — then  you've  got  it.  No  misleading  and  apparently 
inconsistent  peculiarities  can  fool  you  then.  What  do 
you  read  on  the  Senator's  surface  ?  Simplicity;  a  kind 
of  rank  and  protuberant  simplicity;  whereas,  in  fact, 
that's  one  of  the  deepest  minds  in  the  world.  A  per 
fectly  honest  man — an  absolutely  honest  and  honorable 
man — and  yet  without  doubt  the  profoundest  master  of 
dissimulation  the  world  has  ever  seen." 

"  O,  it's  devilish  !  "  This  was  wrung  from  the  unlisten- 
ing  Tracy  by  the  anguished  thought  of  what  might  have 
been  if  only  the  dinner  arrangements  hadn't  got  mixed. 

"  No,  I  shouldn't  call  it  that,"  said  Sellers,  who  was 
now  placidly  walking  up  and  down  the  room  with  his 
hands  under  his  coat-tails  and  listening  to  himself  talk. 
"  One  could  quite  properly  call  it  devilish  in  another 
man,  but  not  in  the  Senator.  Your  term  is  right — 
perfectly  right — I  grant  that — but  the  application  is 
wrong.  It  makes  a  great  difference.  Yes,  he  is  a 
marvelous  character.  I  do  not  suppose  that  any  other 
statesman  ever  had  such  a  colossal  sense  of  humor, 
combined  with  the  ability  to  totally  conceal  it.  I  may 
except  George  Washington  and  Cromwell,  and  per 
haps  Robespierre,  but  I  draw  the  line  there.  A  person 
not  an  expert  might  be  in  Judge  Hawkins's  company  a 
lifetime  and  never  find  out  he  had  any  more  sense  of 
humor  than  a  cemetery." 

A  deep-drawn  yard-long  sigh  from  the  distraught 
and  dreaming  artist,  followed  by  a  murmured  ''Miser 
able,  oh,  miserable  ! " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  2IQ 

"  Well,  no,  I  shouldn't  say  tJiat  about  it,  quite.  On 
the  contrary,  I  admire  his  ability  to  conceal  his  humor 
even  more  if  possible  than  I  admire  the  gift  itself,  stu 
pendous  as  it  is.  Another  thing — General  Hawkins  is 
a  thinker;  a  keen,  logical,  exhaustive,  analytical  thinker 
—perhaps  the  ablest  of  modern  times.  That  is,  of 
course,  upon  themes  suited  to  his  size,  like  the  glacial 
period,  and  the  correlation  of  forces,  and  the  evolution 
of  the  Christian  from  the  caterpillar — any  of  those 
things;  give  him  a  subject  according  to  his  size,  and 
just  stand  back  and  watch  him  think  !  Why  you  can 
see  the  place  rock!  Ah,  yes,  you  must  know  him; 
you  must  get  on  the  inside  of  him.  Perhaps  the  most 
extraordinary  mind  since  Aristotle." 

Dinner  was  kept  waiting  for  a  while  for  Miss  Thomp 
son,  but  as  Gwendolen  had  not  delivered  the  invitation 
to  her  the  waiting  did  no  good,  and  the  household 
presently  went  to  the  meal  without  her.  Poor  old 
Sellers  tried  everything  his  hospitable  soul  could  de 
vise  to  make  the  occasion  an  enjoyable  one  for  the 
guest,  and  the  guest  tried  his  honest  best  to  be  cheery 
and  chatty  and  happy  for  the  old  gentleman's  sake;  in 
fact  all  hands  worked  hard  in  the  interest  of  a  mutual 
good  time,  but  the  thing  was  a  failure  from  the  start; 
Tracy's  heart  was  lead  in  his  bosom,  there  seemed  to 
be  only  one  prominent  feature  in  the  landscape  and 
that  was  a  vacant  chair,  he  couldn't  drag  his  mind 
away  from  Gwendolen  and  his  hard  luck;  consequently 
his  distractions  allowed  deadly  pauses  to  slip  in  every 
now  ancf  then  when  it  was  his  turn  to  say  something, 
and  of  course  this  disease  spread  to  the  rest  of  the  con 
versation — wherefore,  instead  of  having  a  breezy  sail 


2  2  O  THE  A  M ERICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT. 

in  sunny  waters,  as  anticipated,  everybody  was  bailing 
out  and  praying  for  land.  What  could  the  matter  be  ? 
Tracy  alone  could  have  told,  the  others  couldn't  even 
invent  a  theory. 

Meanwhile  they  were  having  a  similarly  dismal  time 
at  the  Thompson  house;  in  fact  a  twin  experience. 
Gwendolen  was  ashamed  of  herself  for  allowing  her 
disappointment  to  so  depress  her  spirits  and  make  her 
so  strangely  tand  profoundly  miserable;  but  feeling 
ashamed  of  herself  didn't  improve  the  matter  any;  it 
only  seemed  to  aggravate  the  suffering.  She  explained 
that  she  was  not  feeling  very  well,  and  everybody 
could  see  that  this  was  true;  so  she  got  sincere  sym 
pathy  and  commiseration;  but  that  didn't  help  the  case. 
Nothing  helps  that  kind  of  a  case.  It  is  best  to  just 
stand  off  and  let  it  fester.  The  moment  the  dinner  was 
over  the  girl  excused  herself,  and  she  hurried  home 
feeling  unspeakably  grateful  to  get  away  from  that 
house  and  that  intolerable  capitivity  and  suffering. 

Will  he  be  gone  ?  The  thought  arose  in  her  brain, 
but  took  effect  in  her  heels.  She  slipped  into  the  house, 
threw  off  her  things  and  made  straight  for  the  dining- 
room.  She  stopped  and  listened.  Her  father's  voice — 
with  no  life  in  it;  presently  her  mother's — no  life  in 
that;  a  considerable  vacancy,  then  a  sterile  remark  from 
Washington  Hawkins.  Another  silence;  then,  not 
Tracy's  but  her  father's  voice  again. 

"  He's  gone,"  she  said  to  herself  despairingly,  and 
listlessly  opened  the  door  and  stepped  within. 

"  Why,  my  child,"  cried  the  mother,  "  how  white  you 
are  !  Are  you — has  anything — " 

"  White  ?  "  exclaimed  Sellers.  "  It's  gone  like  a  flash; 


THE  A  ME  RICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  2  2  I 

'twasn't  serious.  Already  she's  as  red  as  the  soul  of  a 
watermelon  !  Sit  down,  dear,  sit  down  —  goodness 
knows  you're  welcome.  Did  you  have  a  good  time? 
We've  had  great  times  here — immense.  Why  didn't 
Miss  Belle  come  ?  Mr.  Tracy  is  not  feeling  well,  and 
she'd  have  made  him  forget  it." 

She  was  content  now;  and  out  from  her  happy  eyes 
there  went  a  light  that  told  a  secret  to  another  pair  of 
eyes  there  and  got  a  secret  in  return.  In  just  that  in 
finitely  small  fraction  of  a  second  those  two  great  con 
fessions  were  made,  received,  and  perfectly  understood. 
All  anxiety,  apprehension,  uncertainty,  vanished  out 
of  these  young  people's  hearts  and  left  them  filled  with 
a  great  peace. 

Sellers  had  had  the  most  confident  faith  that  with  the 
new  reinforcement  victory  would  be  at  this  last  moment 
snatched  from  the  jaws  of  defeat,  but  it  was  an  error. 
The  talk  was  as  stubbornly  disjointed  as  ever.  He  was 
proud  of  Gwendolen,  and  liked  to  show  her  off,  even 
against  Miss  Belle  Thompson,  and  here  had  been  a 
great  opportunity,  and  what  had  she  made  of  it  ?  He 
felt  a  good  deal  put  out.  It  vexed  him  to  think  that 
this  Englishman,  with  the  traveling  Briton's  everlasting 
disposition  to  generalize  whole  mountain  ranges  from 
single  sample-grains  of  sand,  would  jump  to  the  con 
clusion  that  American  girls  were  as  dumb  as  himself— 
generalizing  the  whole  tribe  from  this  single  sample 
and  she  at  her  poorest,  there  being  nothing  at  that 
table  to  inspire  her,  give  her  a  start,  keep  her  from  go 
ing  to  sleep.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  for  the  honor 
of  the  country  he  would  bring  these  two  together  again 
over  the  social  board  before  long.  There  would  be  a 


222 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


different  result  another  time,  he  judged.  He  said  to 
himself,  with  a  deep  sense  of  injury,  "  He'll  put  in  his 
diary — they  all  keep  diaries — he'll  put  in  his  diary  that 
she  was  miraculously  uninteresting — dear,  dear,  but 
wasrit  she  ! — I  never  saw  the  like — and  yet  looking  as 


"OH,   MY  GOD,   SHE'S  KISSING  IT  !  ' 

beautiful  as  Satan,  too — and  couldn't  seem  to  do  any 
thing  but  paw  bread  crumbs,  and  pick  flowers  to  pieces, 
and  look  fidgety.  And  it  isn't  any  better  here  in  the 
Hall  of  Audience.  I've  had  enough;  I'll  haul  down  my 
flag;  the  others  may  fight  it  out  if  they  want  to." 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  22 3 

He  shook  hands  all  around  and  went  off  to  do  some 
work  which  he  said  was  pressing.  The  idolaters  were 
the  width  of  the  room  apart,  and  apparently  uncon 
scious  of  each  other's  presence.  The  distance  got 
shortened  a  little,  now.  Very  soon  the  mother  with 
drew.  The  distance  narrowed  again.  Tracy  stood 
before  a  chromo  of  some  Ohio  politician  which  had 
been  retouched  and  chain-mailed  for  a  crusading  Ross- 
more,  and  Gwendolen  was  sitting  on  the  sofa  not  far 
from  his  elbow  artificially  absorbed  in  examining  a 
photograph  album  that  hadn't  any  photographs  in  it. 

The  "  Senator"  still  lingered.  He  was  sorry  for  the 
young  people;  it  had  been  a  dull  evening  for  them.  In 
the  goodness  of  his  heart  he  tried  to  make  it  pleasant 
for  them  now;  tried  to  remove  the  ill  impression  neces 
sarily  left  by  the  general  defeat;  tried  to  be  chatty, 
even  tried  to  be  gay.  But  the  responses  wrere  sickly, 
there  was  no  starting  any  enthusiasm;  he  would  give 
it  up  and  quit — it  was  a  day  specially  picked  out  and 
consecrated  to  failures. 

But  when  Gwendolen  rose  up  promptly  and  smiled 
a  glad  smile  and  said  with  thankfulness  and  blessing — 
"  Must  you  go  ?  "  it  seemed  cruel  to  desert,  and  he  sat 
down  again. 

He  was  about  to  begin  a  remark  when — when  he 
didn't.  We  have  all  been  there.  He  didn't  know  how 
he  knew  his  concluding  to  stay  longer  had  been  a  mis 
take,  he  merely  knew  it;  and  knew  it  for  dead  certain, 
too.  And  so  he  bade  goodnight,  and  went  mooning 
out,  wondering  what  he  could  have  done  that  changed 
the  atmosphere  that  way.  As  the  door  closed  behind 
him  those  two  were  standing  side  by  side,  looking  at 


224  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

that  door — looking  at  it  in  a  waiting,  second-counting, 
but  deeply  grateful  kind  of  way.  And  the  instant  it 
closed  they  flung  their  arms  about  each  other's  necks, 
and  there,  heart  to  heart  and  lip  to  lip — 

"  Oh,  my  God,  she's  kissing  it !  " 

Nobody  heard  this  remark,  because  Hawkins,  who 
bred  it,  only  thought  it,  he  didn't  utter  it.  He  had 
turned,  the  moment  he  had  closed  the  door,  and  had 
pushed  it  open  a  little,  intending  to  re-enter  and  ask 
what  ill-advised  thing  he  had  done  or  said,  and  apolo 
gize  for  it.  But  he  didn't  re-enter;  he  staggered  off 
stunned,  terrified,  distressed. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

FIVE  minutes  later  he  was  sitting  in  his  room,  with 
his  head  bowed  within  the  circle  of  his  arms,  on  the 
table — final  attitude  of  grief  and  despair.  His  tears 
were  flowing  fast,  and  now  and  then  a  sob  broke  upon 
the  stillness.  Presently  he  said— 

"  I  knew  her  when  she  was  a  little  child  and  used  to 
climb  about  my  knees;  I  love  her  as  I  love  my  own, 
and  now — oh,  poor  thing,  poor  thing,  I  cannot  bear  it ! 
— she's  gone  and  lost  her  heart  to  this  mangy  mate- 
-rializee  !  Why  didrit  we  see  that  that  might  happen  ? 
But  how  could  we  ?  Nobody  could;  nobody  could  ever 
have  dreamed  of  such  a  thing.  You  couldn't  expect  a 
person  would  fall  in  love  with  a  wax-work.  And  this 
one  doesn't  even  amount  to  that." 

He  went  on  grieving  to  himself,  and  now  and  then 
giving  voice  to  his  lamentations. 

"  It's  done,  oh,  it's  done,  and  there's  no  help  for  it, 
no  undoing  the  miserable  business.  If  I  had  the  nerve, 
I  would  kill  it.  But  that  wouldn't  do  any  good.  She 
loves  it;  she  thinks  it's  genuine  and  authentic.  If  she 
lost  it  she  would  grieve  for  it  just  as  she  would  for  a 
real  person.  And  who's  to  break  it  to  the  family !  Not 
I — I'll  die  first.  Sellers  is  the  best  human  being  I  ever 
knew  and  I  wouldn't  any  more  think  of — oh,  dear,  why 
it'll  break  his  heart  when  he  finds  it  out.  And  Polly's 

225 


226  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

too.  This  comes  of  meddling  with  such  infernal  mat 
ters  !  But  for  this,  the  creature  would  still  be  roasting 
in  Sheol  where  it  belongs.  How  is  it  that  these  people 
don't  smell  the  brimstone  ?  Sometimes  I  can't  come 
into  the  same  room  with  him  without  nearly  suffocat 
ing." 

After  a  while  he  broke  out  again: 

"Well,  there's  one  thing,  sure.  The  materializing 
has  got  to  stop  right  where  it  is.  If  she's  got  to  marry 
a  spectre,  let  her  marry  a  decent  one  out  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  like  this  one — not  a  cowboy  and  a  thief  such  as 
this  protoplasmic  tadpole's  going  to  turn  into  if  Sellers 
keeps  on  fussing  at  it.  It  costs  five  thousand  dollars 
cash  and  shuts  down  on  the  incorporated  company  to 
stop  the  works  at  this  point,  but  Sally  Sellers's  happi 
ness  is  worth  more  than  that." 

He  heard  Sellers  coming,  and  got  himself  to  rights. 
Sellers  took  a  seat,  and  said-^ 

"  Well,  I've  got  to  confess  I'm  a  good  deal  puzzled. 
It  did  certainly  eat,  there's  no  getting  around  it.  Not 
eat,  exactly,  either,  but  it  nibbled;  nibbled  in  an  appe- 
titeless  way,  but  still  it  nibbled ;  and  that's  just  a  marvel. 
Now  the  question  is,  what  does  it  do  with  those  nib- 
blings  ?  That's  it — what  does  it  do  with  them  ?  My 
idea  is  that  we  don't  begin  to  know  all  there  is  to  this 
stupendous  discovery  yet.  But  time  will  show — time 
and  science — give  us  a  chance,  and  don't  get  impatient." 

But  he  couldn't  get  Hawkins  interested;  couldn't 
make  him  talk  to  amount  to  anything;  couldn't  drag 
him  out  of  his  depression.  But  at  last  he  took  a  turn 
that  arrested  Hawkins's  attention. 

"  I'm  coming  to  like  him,  Hawkins.  '  He  is  a  person 


THE  A  M ERIC  A  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  22  7 

of  stupendous  character — absolutely  gigantic.  Under 
that  placid  exterior  is  concealed  the  most  dare-devil 
spirit  that  was  ever  put  into  a  man — he's  just  a  Clive 
over  again.  Yes,  I'm  all  admiration  for  him,  on  account 
of  his  character,  and  liking  naturally  follows  admira 
tion,  you  know.  I'm  coming  to  like  him  immensely. 
Do  you  know,  I  haven't  the  heart  to  degrade  such  a 
character  as  that  down  to  the  burglar  estate  for  money 
or  for  anything  else;  and  I've  come  to  ask  if  you  are  will 
ing  to  let  the  reward  go,  and  leave  this  poor  fellow — " 

"  Where  he  is?" 

"  Yes — not  bring  him  down  to  date." 

"  Oh,  there's  my  hand;  and  my  heart's  in  it,  too !  " 

"  I'll  never  forget  you  for  this,  Hawkins,"  said  the  old 
gentleman  in  a  voice  which  he  found  it  hard  to  control. 
"  You  are  making  a  great  sacrifice  for  me,  and  one 
which  you  can  ill  afford,  but  I'll  never  forget  your  gen 
erosity,  and  if  I  live  you  shall  not  suffer  for  it,  be  sure 
of  that." 


Sally  Sellers  immediately  and  vividly  realized  that 
she  was  become  a  new  being;  a  being  of  a  far  higher 
and  worthier  sort  than  she  had  been  such  a  little  while 
before;  an  earnest  being,  in  place  of  a  dreamer;  and 
supplied  with  a  reason  for  her  presence  in  the  world, 
where  merely  a  wistful  and  troubled  curiosity  about  it 
had  existed  before.  So  great  and  so  comprehensive  was 
the  change  which  had  been  wrought,  that  she  seemed 
to  herself  to  be  a  real  person  who  had  lately  been  a 
shadow;  a  something  which  had  lately  been  a  nothing; 
a  purpose,  which  had  lately  been  a  fancy;  a  finished 


228  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

temple,  with  the  altar-fires  lit  and  the  voice  of  worship 
ascending,  where  before  had  been  but  an  architect's 
confusion  of  arid  working  plans,  unintelligible  to  the 
passing  eye  and  prophesying  nothing. 

"  Lady  "  Gwendolen  !  The  pleasantness  of  that  sound 
was  all  gone ;  it  was  an  offense  to  her  ear  now.  She  said— 

"  There — that  sham  belongs  to  the  past;  I  will  not 
be  called  by  it  any  more." 

"  I  may  call  you  simply  Gwendolen  ?  You  will  allow 
me  to  drop  the  formalities  straightway  and  name  you 
by  your  dear  first  name  without  additions  ? " 

She  was  dethroning  the  pink  and  replacing  it  with  a 
rosebud. 

"There — that  is  better.  I  hate  pinks — some  pinks. 
Indeed  yes,  you  are  to  call  me  by  my  first  name  with 
out  additions— that  is, — well,  I  don't  mean  without  ad 
ditions  entirely,  but — ' 

It  was  as  far  as  she  could  get.  There  was  a  pause; 
his  intellect  was  struggling  to  comprehend;  presently 
it  did  manage  to  catch  the  idea  in  time  to  save  embar 
rassment  all  around,  and  he  said  gratefully — 

"  Dear  Gwendolen  !     I  may  say  that  ?  " 

"  Yes — .part  of  it.  But — don't  kiss  me  when  I  am 
talking,  it  makes  me  forget  what  I  was  going  to  say. 
You  can  call  me  by  part  of  that  form,  but  not  the  last 
part.  Gwendolen  is  not  my  name." 

"  Not  your  name  ?"  This  in  a  tone  of  wonder  and 
surprise. 

The  girl's  soul  was  suddenly  invaded  by  a  creepy 
apprehension,  a.  quite  definite  sense  of  suspicion  and 
alarm.  She  put  his  arms  away  from  her,  looked  him 
searchingly  in  the  eye,  and  said — 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  22g 

"Answer  me  truly,  on  your  honor.  You  are  not 
seeking  to  marry  me  on  account  of  my  rank  ?  " 

The  shot  almost  knocked  him  through  the  wall,  he 
was  so  little  prepared,  for  it.  There  was  something  so 
finely  grotesque  about  the  question  and  its  parent  sus 
picion,  that  he  stopped  to  wonder  and  admire,  and  thus 
was  he  saved  from  laughing.  Then,  without  wasting 
precious  time,  he  set  about  the  task  of  convincing  her 
that  he  had  been  lured  by  herself  alone,  and  had  fallen 
in  love  with  her  only,  not  her  title  and  position;  that 
he  loved  her  with  all  his  heart,  and  could  not  love  her 
more  if  she  were  a  duchess,  or  less  if  she  were  without 
home,  name  or  family.  She  watched  his  face  wistfully, 
eagerly,  hopefully,  translating  his  words  by  its  expres 
sion;  and  when  he  had  finished  there  was  gladness  in 
her  heart — a  tumultuous  gladness,  indeed,  though  out 
wardly  she  was  calm,  tranquil,  even  judicially  austere. 
She  prepared  a  surprise  for  him,  now,  calculated  to  put  a 
heavy  strain  upon  those  disinterested  protestations  01 
his;  and  thus  she  delivered  it,  burning  it  away  word 
by  word  as  the  fuse  burns  down  to  a  bombshell,  and 
watching  to  see  how  far  the  explosion  would  lift  him: 

"  Listen — and  do  not  doubt  me,  for  I  shall  speak 
the  exact  truth.  Howard  Tracy,  I  am  no  more  an 
earl's  child  than  you  are  !  " 

To  her  joy — and  secret  surprise,  also — it  never 
phased  him.  He  was  ready,  this  time,  and  saw  his 
chance.  He  cried  out  with  enthusiasm,  "  Thank  heav 
en  for  that !  "  and  gathered  her  to  his  arms. 

To  express  her  happiness  was  almost  beyond  her 
gift  of  speech. 

"  You  make  me  the  proudest  girl  in  all  the  earth," 


230  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

she  said,  with  her  head  pillowed  on  his  shoulder.  "  I 
thought  it  only  natural  that  you  should  be  dazzled  by 
the  title — maybe  even  unconsciously,  you  being  Eng 
lish — and  that  you  might  be  deceiving  yourself  in 
thinking  you  loved  only  me,  and  find  you  didn't  love 
me  when  the  deception  was  swept  away;  so  it  makes 
me  proud  that  the  revelation  stands  for  nothing  and 
that  you  do  love  just  me,  only  me — oh,  prouder  than 
any  words  can  tell !  " 

"  It  is  only  you,  sweetheart,  I  never  gave  one  envy 
ing  glance  toward  your  father's  earldom.  That  is 
utterly  true,  dear  Gwendolen." 

"  There — you  mustn't  call  me  that.  I  hate  that 
false  .name.  I  told  you  it  wasn't  mine.  My  name  is 
Sally  Sellers — or  Sarah,  if  you  like.  From  this  time 
I  banish  dreams,  visions,  imaginings,  and  will  no  more 
of  them.  I  am  going  to  be  myself — my  genuine  self, 
my  honest  self,  my  natural  self,  clear  and  clean  of 
sham  and  folly  and  fraud,  and  worthy  of  you.  There 
is  no  grain  of  social  inequality  between  us;  I,  like  you, 
am  poor;  I,  like  you,  am  without  position  or  distinc 
tion;  you  are  a  struggling  artist,  I  am  that,  too,  in  my 
humbler  way.  Our  bread  is  honest  bread,  we  work  for 
our  living.  Hand  in  hand  we  will  walk  hence  to  the 
grave,  helping  each  other  in  all  ways,  living  for  each 
other,  being  and  remaining  one  in  heart  and  purpose, 
one  in  hope  and  aspiration,  inseparable  to  the  end. 
And  though  our  place  is  low,  judged  by  the  world's 
eye,  we  will  make  it  as  high  as  the  highest  in  the 
great  essentials  of  honest  work  for  what  we  eat  and 
wear,  and  conduct  above  reproach.  We  live  in  a  land, 
let  us  be  thankful,  where  this  is  all-sufficient,  and  no 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


man  is  better  than  his  neighbor  by  the  grace  of  God, 
but  only  by  his  own  merit." 

Tracy  tried  to  break  in,  but  she  stopped  him  and 
kept  the  floor  herself. 

"  I  am  not  through,  yet.  I  am  going  to  purge  my 
self  of  the  last  vestiges  of  artificiality  and  pretence,  and 
then  start  fair  on  your  own  honest  level  and  be  wor 
thy  mate  to  you  thenceforth.  My  father  honestly  thinks 
he  is  an  earl.  Well,  leave  him  his  dream,  it  pleases 
him  and  does  no  one  any  harm.  It  was  the  dream  of 
his  ancestors  before  him.  It  has  made  fools  of  the 
house  of  Sellers  for  generations,  and  it  made  something 
of  a  fool  of  me,  but  took  no  deep  root.  I  am  done  with 
it  now,  and  for  good.  Forty-eight  hours  ago  I  was 
privately  proud  of  being  the  daughter  of  a  pinchbeck 
earl,  and  thought  the  proper  mate  for  me  must  be  a 
man  of  like  degree;  but  to-day  —  oh,  how  grateful  I  am 
for  your  love  which  has  healed  my  sick  brain  and  re 
stored  my  sanity  !  —  I  could  make  oath  that  no  earl's 
son  in  all  the  world  —  ' 

"Oh,—  well,  but—  but—  " 

''Why,  you  look  like  a  person  in  a  panic.  What  is 
it  ?  What  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Matter?  Oh,  nothing  —  nothing.  I  was  only  going 
to  say"  —  but  in  his  flurry  nothing  occurred  to  him  to 
say,  for  a  moment;  then  by  a  lucky  inspiration  he 
thought  of  something  entirely  sufficient  for  the  occa 
sion,  and  brought  it  out  with  eloquent  force:  "Oh, 
how  beautiful  you  are  !  You  take  my  breath  away 
when  you  look  like  that." 

It  was  well  conceived,  well  timed,  and  cordially  de 
livered  —  and  it  got  its  reward. 


232  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"  Let  me  see.  Where  was  I?  Yes,  my  father's 
earldom  is  pure  moonshine.  Look  at  those  dreadful 
things  on  the  wall.  You  have  of  course  supposed  them 
to  be  portraits  of  his  ancestors,  earls  of  Rossmore. 
Well,  they  are  not.  They  are  chromos  of  distinguish 
ed  Americans — all  moderns;  but  he  has  carried  them 
back  a  thousand  years  by  re-labeling  them.  Andrew 
Jackson  there,  is  doing  what  he  can  to  be  the  late 
American  earl;  and  the  newest  treasure  in  the  collec 
tion  is  supposed  to  be  the  young  English  heir — I  mean 
the  idiot  with  the  crape;  but  in  truth  it's  a  shoemaker, 
and  not  Lord  Berkeley  at  all." 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  " 

"  Why  of  course  I  am.     He  wouldn't  look  like  that." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  his  conduct  in  his  last  moments,  when  the 
fire  was  sweeping  around  him  shows  that  he  was  a 
man.  It  shows  that  he  was  a  fine,  high-souled  young 
creature." 

Tracy  was  strongly  moved  by  these  compliments, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  girl's  lovely  lips  took  on 
a  new  loveliness  when  they  were  delivering  them.  He 
said,  softly— 

"  It  is  a  pity  he  could  not  know  what  a  gracious  im 
pression  his  behavior  was  going  to  leave  with  the  dear 
est  and  sweetest  stranger  in  the  land  of— 

"Oh,  I  almost  loved  him!  Why,  I  think  of  him 
every  day.  He  is  always  floating  about  in  my  mind." 

Tracy  felt  that  this  was  a  little  more  than  was  neces 
sary.  He  was  conscious  of  the  sting  of  jealousy.  He 
said — 

"  It  is  quite  right  to  think  of  him — at  least  now  and 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  233 

then — that  is,  at  intervals — in  perhaps  an  admiring 
way — but  it  seems  to  me  that — 

"  Howard  Tracy,  are  you  jealous  of  that  dead  man  ?  " 

He  was  ashamed — and  at  the  same  time  not  ashamed. 
He  was  jealous — and  at  the  same  time  he  was  not  jeal 
ous.  In  a  sense  the  dead  man  was  himself;  in  that 
case  compliments  and  affection  lavished  upon  that 
corpse  went  into  his  own  till  and  were  clear  profit. 
But  in  another  sense  the  dead  man  was  not  himself; 
and  in  that  case  all  compliments  and  affection  lavished 
there  were  wasted,  and  a  sufficient  basis  for  jealousy. 
A  tiff  was  the  result  of  the  dispute  between  the  two. 
Then  they  made  it  up,  and  were  more  loving  than  ever. 
As  an  affectionate  clincher  of  the  reconciliation,  Sally 
declared  that  she  had  now  banished  Lord  Berkeley 
from  her  mind;  and  added,  "And  in  order  to  make  sure 
that  he  shall  never  make  trouble  between  us  again,  I 
will  teach  myself  to  detest  that  name  and  all  that  have 
ever  borne  it  or  ever  shall  bear  it." 

This  inflicted  another  pang,  and  Tracy  was  minded 
to  ask  her  to  modify  that  a  little — just  on  general  prin 
ciples,  and  as  practice  in  not  overdoing  a  good  thing 
— perhaps  he  might  better  leave  things  as  they  were 
and  not  risk  bringing  on  another  tiff.  He  got  away 
from  that  particular,  and  sought  less  tender  ground  for 
conversation. 

"  I  suppose  you  disapprove  wholly  of  aristocracies 
and  nobilities,  now  that  you  have  renounced  your  title 
and  your  father's  earldom." 

"Real  ones?  Oh,  dear  no — but  I've  thrown  aside 
our  sham  one  for  good." 

This  answer  fell  just  at  the  right  time  and  just  in  the 


THE  A  M ERIC  A  tf  CLA IMANT. 


right  place,  to  save  the  poor  unstable  young  man  from 
changing  his  political  complexion  once  more.  He  had 
been  on  the  point  of  beginning  to  totter  again,  but  this 
prop  shored  him  up  and  kept  him  from  floundering 
back  into  democracy  and  re-renouncing  aristocracy. 
So  he  went  home  glad  that  he  had  asked  the  fortunate 
question.  The  girl  would  accept  a  little  thing  like  a 


"THE  SHADY  DEVIL  HAD  KNIFED  HER." 

genuine  earldom,  she  was  merely  prejudiced  against 
the  brummagem  article.  Yes,  he  could  have  his  girl 
and  have  his  earldom,  too:  that  question  was  a  fortu 
nate  stroke. 

Sally  went  to  bed  happy,  too;  and  remained  happy, 
deliriously  happy,  for  nearly  two  hours;  but  at  last, 
just  as  she  was  sinking  into  a  contented  and  luxurious 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  235 

unconsciousness,  the  shady  devil  who  lives  and  lurks 
and  hides  and  watches  inside  of  human  beings  and  is 
always  waiting  for  a  chance  to  do  the  proprietor  a  ma 
licious  damage,  whispered  to  her  soul  and  said,  "That 
question  had  a  harmless  look,  but  what  was  back  of  it  ? 
—what  was  the  secret  motive  of  it  ? — what  suggest 
ed  it?" 

The  shady  devil  had  knifed  her,  and  could  retire, 
now,  and  take  a  rest;  the  wound  would  attend  to  busi 
ness  for  him.  And  it  did. 

Why  should  Howard  Tracy  ask  that  question  ?  If  he 
was  not  trying  to  marry  her  for  the  sake  of  her  rank, 
what  should  suggest  that  question  to  him  ?  Didn't  he 
plainly  look  gratified  when  she  said  her  objections  to 
aristocracy  had  their  limitations  ?  Ah,  he  is  after  that 
earldom,  that  gilded  sham — it  isn't  poor  me  he  wants. 

So  she  argued,  in  anguish  and  tears.  Then  she  ar 
gued  the  opposite  theory,  but  made  a  weak,  poor  busi 
ness  of  it,  and  lost  the  case.  She  kept  the  arguing  up, 
one  side  and  then  the  other,  the  rest  of  the  night,  and 
at  last  fell  asleep  at  dawn;  fell  in  the  fire  at  dawn,  one 
may  say;  for  that  kind  of  sleep  resembles  fire,  and  one 
comes  out  of  it  with  his  brain  baked  and  his  physical 
forces  fried  out  of  him. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

TRACY  wrote  his  father  before  he  sought  his  bed. 
He  wrote  a  letter  which  he  believed  would  get  better 
treatment  than  his  cablegram  received,  for  it  contained 
what  ought  to  be  welcome  news;  namely,  that  he  had 
tried  equality  and  working  for  a  living;  had  made  a 
fight  which  he  could  find  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of, 
and  in  the  matter  of  earning  a  living  had  proved  that 
he  was  able  to  do  it;  but  that  on  the  whole  he  had  ar 
rived  at  the  conclusion  that  he  could  not  reform  the 
world  single-handed,  and  was  willing  to  retire  from  the 
conflict  with  the  fair  degree  of  honor  which  he  had 
gained,  and  was  also  willing  to  return  home  and  re 
sume  his  position  and  be  content  with  it  and  thankful 
for  it  for  the  future,  leaving  further  experiment  of  a 
missionary  sort  to  other  young  people  needing  the 
chastening  and  quelling  persuasions  of  experience,  the 
only  logic  sure  to  convince  a  diseased  imagination  and 
restore  it  to  rugged  health.  Then  he  approached  the 
subject  of  marriage  with  the  daughter  of  the  American 
Claimant  with  a  good  deal  of  caution  and  much  pains 
taking  art.  He  said  praiseful  and  appreciative  things 
about  the  girl,  but  didn't  dwell  upon  that  detail  or 
make  it  prominent.  The  thing  which  he  made  prom 
inent  was  the  opportunity  now  so  happily  afforded,  to 
reconcile  York  and  Lancaster,  graft  the  warring  roses 

236 


THE  A  ME  RICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  237 

upon  one  stem,  and  end  forever  a  crying  injustice 
which  had  already  lasted  far  too  long.  One  could  infer 
that  he  had  thought  this  thing  all  out  and  chosen  this 
way  of  making  all  things  fair  and  right  because  it  was 
sufficiently  fair  and  considerably  wiser  than  the  renun 
ciation-scheme  which  he  had  brought  with  him  from 
England.  One  could  infer  that,  but  he  didn't  say  it. 
In  fact  the  more  he  read  his  letter  over,  the  more  he 
got  to  inferring  it  himself. 

When  the  old  earl  received  that  letter,  the  first  part 
of  it  filled  him  with  a  grim  and  snarly  satisfaction;  but 
the  rest  of  it  brought  a  snort  or  two  out  of  him  that 
could  be  translated  differently.  He  wasted  no  ink  in 
this  emergency,  either  in  cablegrams  or  letters;  he 
promptly  took  ship  for  America  to  look  into  the  mat 
ter  himself.  He  had  staunchly  held  his  grip  all  this 
long  time,  and  given  no  sign  of  the  hunger  at  his  heart 
to  see  his  son;  hoping  for  the  cure  of  his  insane  dream, 
and  resolute  that  the  process  should  go  through  all  the 
necessary  stages  without  assuaging  telegrams  or  other 
nonsense  from  home,  and  here  was  victory  at  last. 
Victory,  but  stupidly  marred  by  this  idiotic  marriage 
project.  Yes,  he  would  step  over  and  take  a  hand  in 
this  matter  himself. 

During  the  first  ten  days  following  the  mailing  of 
the  letter  Tracy's  spirits  had  no  idle  time;  they  were 
always  climbing  up  into  the  clouds  or  sliding  down  in 
to  the  earth  as  deep  as  the  law  of  gravitation  reached. 
He  was  intensely  happy  or  intensely  miserable  by 
turns,  according  to  Miss  Sally's  moods.  He  never 
could  tell  when  the  mood  was  going  to  change,  and 
when  it  changed  he  couldn't  tell  what  it  was  that  had 


238  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

changed  it.  Sometimes  she  was  so  in  love  with  him 
that  her  love  was  tropical,  torrid,  and  she  could  find 
no  language  fervent  enough  for  its  expression;  then 
suddenly,  and  without  warning  or  any  apparent  reason, 
the  weather  would  change,  and  the  victim  would  find 
himself  adrift  among  the  icebergs  and  feeling  as  lone 
some  and  friendless  as  the  north  pole.  It  sometimes 
seemed  to  him  that  a  man  might  better  be  dead  than 
exposed  to  these  devastating  varieties  of  climate. 

The  case  was  simple.  Sally  wanted  to  believe  that 
Tracy's  preference  was  disinterested;  so  she  was  al 
ways  applying  little  tests  of  one  sort  or  another,  hoping 
and  expecting  that  they  would  bring  out  evidence  which 
would  confirm  or  fortify  her  belief.  Poor  Tracy  did  not 
know  that  these  experiments  were  being  made  upon 
him,  consequently  he  walked  promptly  into  all  the  traps 
the  girl  set  for  him.  These  traps  consisted  in  appar 
ently  casual  references  to  social  distinction,  aristo 
cratic  title  and  privilege,  and  such  things.  Often  Tracy 
responded  to  these  references  heedlessly  and  not  much 
caring  what  he  said  provided  it  kept  the  talk  going  and 
prolonged  the  seance.  He  didn't  suspect  that  the  girl 
was  watching  his  face  and  listening  for  his  words  as 
one  who  watches  the  judge's  face  and  listens  for  the 
words  which  will  restore  him  to  home  and  friends  and 
freedom  or  shut  him  away  from  the  sun  and  human 
companionship  forever.  He  didn't  suspect  that  his 
careless  words  were  being  weighed,  and  so  he  often 
delivered  sentence  of  death  when  it  would  have  been 
just  as  handy  and  all  the  same  to  him  to  pronounce  ac 
quittal.  Daily  he  broke  the  girl's  heart,  nightly  he  sent 
her  to  the  rack  for  sleep.  He  couldn't  understand  it. 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  239 

Some  people  would  have  put  this  and  that  together 
and  perceived  that  the  weather  never  changed  until 
one  particular  subject  was  introduced,  and  that  then  it 
always  changed.  And  they  would  have  looked  further, 
and  perceived  that  that  subject  was  always  introduced 
by  the  one  party,  never  the  other.  They  would  have 
argued,  then,  that  this  was  done  for  a  purpose.  If  they 
could  not  find  out  what  that  purpose  was  in  any  simpler 
or  easier  way,  they  would  ask. 

But  Tracy  was  not  deep  enough  or  suspicious  enough 
to  think  of  these  things.  He  noticed  only  one  partic 
ular;  that  the  weather  was  always  sunny  when  a  visit 
began.  No  matter  how  much  it  might  cloud  up  later, 
it  always  began  with  a  clear  sky.  He  couldn't  explain 
this  curious  fact  to  himself,  he  merely  knew  it  to  be  a 
fact.  The  truth  of  the  matter  was,  that  by  the  time 
Tracy  had  been  out  of  Sally's  sight  six  hours  she  was 
so  famishing  for  a  sight  of  him  that  her  doubts  and  sus 
picions  were  all  consumed  away  in  the  fire  of  that  long 
ing,  and  so  always  she  came  into  his  presence  as  sur 
prisingly  radiant  and  joyous  as  she  wasn't  when  she 
went  out  of  it. 

In  circumstances  like  these  a  growing  portrait  runs 
a  good  many  risks.  The  portrait  of  Sellers,  by  Tracy, 
was  fighting  along,  day  by  day,  through  this  mixed 
weather,  and  daily  adding  to  itself  ineradicable  signs 
of  the  checkered  life  it  was  leading.  It  was  the  hap 
piest  portrait,  in  spots,  that  was  ever  seen;  but  in  other 
spots  a  damned  soul  looked  out  from  it;  a  soul  that  was 
suffering  all  the  different  kinds  of  distress  there  are, 
from  stomach  ache  to  rabies.  But  Sellers  liked  it.  He 
said  it  was  just  himself  all  over — a  portrait  that  sweated 


240  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

moods  from  every  pore,  and  no  two  moods  alike.  He 
said  he  had  as  many  different  kinds  of  emotions  in  him 
as  a  jug. 

It  was  a  kind  of  a  deadly  work  of  art,  maybe,  but  it 
was  a  starchy  picture  for  show;  for  it  was  life  size,  full 
length,  and  represented  the  American  earl  in  a  peer's 
scarlet  robe,  with  the  three  ermine  bars  indicative  of 
an  earl's  rank,  and  on  the  gray  head  an  earl's  coronet, 
tilted  just  a  wee  bit  to  one  side  in  a  most  gallus  and 
winsome  way.  When  Sally's  weather  was  sunny  the 
portrait  made  Tracy  chuckle,  but  when  her  weather 
was  overcast  it  disordered  his  mind  and  stopped  the 
circulation  of  his  blood. 

Late  one  night  when  the  sweethearts  had  been  hav 
ing  a  flawless  visit  together,  Sally's  interior  devil  began 
to  work  his  specialty,  and  soon  the  conversation  was 
drifting  toward  the  customary  rock.  Presently,  in  the 
midst  of  Tracy's  serene  flow  of  talk,  he  felt  a  shudder 
which  he  knew  was  not  his  shudder,  but  exterior  to  his 
breast  although  immediately  against  it.  After  the 
shudder  came  sobs;  Sally  was  crying. 

"  Oh,  my  darling,  what  have  I  done — what  have  I 
said  ?  It  has  happened  again  !  What  have  I  done  to 
wound  you  ? " 

She  disengaged  herself  from  his  arms  and  gave  him 
a  look  of  deep  reproach. 

"  What  have  you  done  ?  I  will  tell  you  what  you 
have  done.  You  have  unwittingly  revealed  — oh,  for  the 
twentieth  time,  though  I  could  not  believe  it,  would  not 
believe  it ! — that  it  is  not  me  you  love,  but  that  foolish 
sham  my  father's  imitation  earldom;  and  you  have 
broken  my  heart !  " 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  241 

"  Oh,  my  child,  what  are  you  saying  !  I  never  dreamed 
of  such  a  thing," 

"  Oh,  Howard,  Howard,  the  things  you  have  uttered 
when  you  were  forgetting  to  guard  your  tongue,  have 
betrayed  you." 

"Things  I  have  uttered  when  I  was  forgetting  to 
guard  my  tongue  ?  These  are  hard  words.  When  have 
I  remembered  to  guard  it  ?  Never  in  one  instance.  It 
has  no  office  but  to  speak  the  truth.  It  needs  no  guard 
ing  for  that." 

"  Howard,  I  have  noted  your  words  and  weighed 
them,  when  you  were  not  thinking  of  their  significance 
— and  they  have  told  me  more  than  you  meant  they 
should." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  you  have  answered  the  trust 
I  had  in  you  by  using  it  as  an  ambuscade  from  which 
you  could  set  snares  for  my  unsuspecting  tongue  and 
be  safe  from  detection  while  you  did  it  ?  You  have  not 
done  this — surely  you  have  not  done  this  thing.  Oh, 
one's  enemy  could  not  do  it." 

This  was  an  aspect  of  the  girl's  conduct  which  she 
had  not  clearly  perceived  before.  Was  it  treachery  ? 
Had  she  abused  a  trust  ?  The  thought  crimsoned  her 
cheeks  with  shame  and  remorse. 

"  Oh,  forgive  me,"  she  said,  "I  did  not  know  what 
I  was  doing.  I  have  been  so  tortured — you  will  forgive 
me,  you  must;  I  have  suffered  so  much,  and  I  am  so 
sorry  and  so  humble;  you  do  forgive  me,  don't  you  ? 
—don't  turn  away,  don't  refuse  me;  it  is  only  my  love 
that  is  at  fault,  and  you  know  I  love  you,  love  you  with 
all  my  heart;  I  couldn't  bear  to — oh,  dear,  dear,  I  am 
so  miserable,  and  I  never  meant  any  harm,  and  I  didn't 


242  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

see  where  this  insanity  was  carrying  me,  and  how  it 
was  wronging  and  abusing  the  dearest  heart  in  all  the 
world  to  me — and — and — oh,  take  me  in  your  arms 
again,  I  have  no  other  refuge,  no  other  home  and  hope  !  " 

There  was  reconciliation  again — immediate,  perfect, 
all-embracing — and  with  it  utter  happiness.  This  would 
have  been  a  good  time  to  adjourn.  But  no,  now  that 
the  cloud-breeder  was  revealed  at  last;  now  that  it  was 
manifest  that  all  the  sour  weather  had  come  from  this 
girl's  dread  that  Tracy  was  lured  by  her  rank  and  not 
herself,  he  resolved  to  lay  that  ghost  immediately 
and  permanently  by  furnishing  the  best  possible  proof 
that  he  couldn't  have  had  back  of  him  at  any  time  the 
suspected  motive.  So  he  said — 

"  Let  me  whisper  a  little  secret  in  your  ear — a  secret 
which  I  have  kept  shut  up  in  my  breast  all  this  time. 
Your  rank  couldn't  ever  have  been  an  enticement.  I 
am  son  and  heir  to  an  English  earl !  " 

The  girl  stared  at  him — one,  two,  three  moments, 
maybe  a  dozen — then  her  lips  parted — 

"You?"  she  said,  and  moved  away  from  him,  still 
gazing  at  him  in  a  kind  of  blank  amazement. 

"  Why — why,  certainly  I  am.  Why  do  you  act  like 
this  ?  What  have  I  done  now  ?  " 

"  What  have  you  done  ?  You  have  certainly  made  a 
most  strange  statement.  You  must  see  that  your 
self." 

"Well,"  with  a  timid  little  laugh,  "it  may  be  a 
strange  enough  statement;  but  of  what  consequence  is 
that,  if  it  is  true  ?  " 

"  If  it  is  true.     You  are  already  retiring  from  it." 

"  Oh,  not  for  a  moment !     You  should  not  say  that. 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


243 


I  have  not  deserved  it.     I  have  spoken  the  truth;    why 
do  you  doubt  it  ?  " 

Her  reply  was  prompt. 

"  Simply  because  you  didn't  speak  it  earlier  !  " 


YOU  AN  EARL'S  SON  !     SHOW  ME  THE  SIGNS." 


"  Oh  !  "  It  wasn't  a  groan,  exactly,  but  it  was  an 
intelligible  enough  expression  of  the  fact  that  he  saw 
the  point  and  recognized  that  there  was  reason  in  it. 

"  You  have  seemed  to  conceal  nothing  from  me  that 
I  ought  to  know  concerning  yourself,  and  you  were 


244  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

not  privileged  to  keep  back -such  a  thing  as  this  from 
me  a  moment  after — after — well,  after  you  had  deter 
mined  to  pay  your  court  to  me." 

"  Its  true,  it's  true,  I  know  it !  But  there  were  cir 
cumstances — in — in  the  way — circumstances  which— 

She  waved  the  circumstances  aside. 

"  Well,  you  see,"  he  said,  pleadingly,  "  you  seemed 
so  bent  on  our  traveling  the  proud  path  of  honest  labor 
and  honorable  poverty,  that  I  was  terrified — that  is,  I 
was  afraid — of — of — well,  you  know  how  you  talked." 

"  Yes,  I  know  how  I  talked.  And  I  also  know  that 
before  the  talk  was  finished  you  inquired  how  I  stood 
as  regards  aristocracies,  and  my  answer  was  calculated 
to  relieve  your  fears." 

He  was  silent  a  while.  Then  he  said,  in  a  discour 
aged  way — 

"  I  don't  see  any  way  out  of  it.  It  was  a  mistake. 
That  is  in  truth  all  it  was,  just  a  mistake.  No  harm 
was  meant,  no  harm  in  the  world.  I  didn't  see  how  it 
might  some  time  look.  It  is  my  way.  I  don't  seem  to 
see  far." 

The  girl  was  almost  disarmed,  for  a  moment.  Then 
she  flared  up  again. 

"  An  Earl's  son  !  Do  earls'  sons  go  about  working 
in  lowly  callings  for  their  bread  and  butter  ?  " 

"  God  knows  they  don't  !     I  have  wished  they  did." 

"  Do  earls'  sons  sink  their  degree  in  a  country  like 
this,  and  come  sober  and  decent  to  sue  for  the  hand  of 
a  born  child  of  poverty  when  they  can  go  drunk,  pro 
fane,  and  steeped  in  dishonorable  debt  and  buy  the 
pick  and  choice  of  the  millionaires'  daughters  of 
America  ?  You  an  earl's  son  !  Show  me  the  signs." 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  245 

"  I  thank  God  I  am  not  able — if  those  are  the  signs. 
But  yet  I  am  an  earl's  son  and  heir.  It  is  all  I  can 
say.  I  wish  you  would  believe  me,  but  you  will  not. 
I  know  no  way  to  persuade  you." 

She  was  about  to  soften  again,  but  his  closing  re 
mark  made  her  bring  her  foot  down  with  smart  vexa 
tion,  and  she  cried  out — 

"  Oh,  you  drive  all  patience  out  of  me  !  Would  you 
have  one  believe  that  you  haven't  your  proofs  at  hand, 
and  yet  are  what  you  say  you  are  ?  You  do  not  put 
your  hand  in  your  pocket  now — for  you  have  nothing 
there.  You  make  a  claim  like  this,  and  then  venture 
to  travel  without  credentials.  These  are  simply  in 
credibilities.  Don't  you  see  that,  yourself?  " 

He  cast  about  in  his  mind  for  a  defence  of  some  kind 
or  other — hesitated  a  little,  and  then  said,  with  diffi 
culty  and  diffidence — 

"  I  will  tell  you  just  the  truth,  foolish  as  it  will  seem 
to  you — to  anybody,  I  suppose — but  it  is  the  truth.  I 
had  an  ideal — call  it  a  dream,  a  folly,  if  you  will — but 
I  wanted  to  renounce  the  privileges  and  unfair  advan 
tages  enjoyed  by  the  nobility  and  wrung  from  the  na 
tion  by  force  and  fraud,  and  purge  myself  of  my  share 
of  those  crimes  against  right  and  reason,  by  thence 
forth  comrading  with  the  poor  and  humble  on  equal 
terms,  earning  with  my  own  hands  the  bread  I  ate, 
and  rising  by  my  own  merit  if  I  rose  at  all." 

The  young  girl  scanned  his  face  narrowly  while  he 
spoke;  and  there  was  something  about  his  simplicity 
of  manner  and  statement  which  touched  her — touched 
her  almost  to  the  danger  point;  but  she  set  her  grip  on 
the  yielding  spirit  and  choked  it  to  quiescence;  it  could 


246  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

not  be  wise  to  surrender  to  compassion  or  any  kind  of 
sentiment,  yet;  she  must  ask  one  or  two  more  ques 
tions.  Tracy  was  reading  her  face;  and  what  he  read 
there  lifted  his  drooping  hopes  a  little. 

"  An  earl's  son  to  do  that !  Why,  he  were  a  man  ! 
A  man  to  love  ! — oh,  more,  a  man  to  worship  !" 

"  Why,  I—" 

"  But  he  never  lived  !  He  is  not  born,  he  will  not 
be  born.  The  self-abnegation  that  could  do  that — 
even  in  utter  folly,  and  hopeless  of  conveying  benefit 
to  any,  beyond  the  mere  example — could  be  mistaken 
for  greatness;  why,  it  would  be  greatness  in  this  cold 
age  of  sordid  ideals  !  A  moment — wait — let  me  finish; 
I  have  one  question  more.  Your  father  is  earl  of 
what  ?  " 

"  Rossmore — and  I  am  Viscount  Berkeley!  " 

The  fat  was  in  the  fire  again.  The  girl  felt  so  out 
raged  that  it  was  difficult  for  her  to  speak. 

"How  can  you  venture  such  a  brazen  thing!  You 
know  that  he  is  dead,  and  you  know  that  I  know  it. 
Oh,  to  rob  the  living  of  name  and  honors  for  a  selfish 
and  temporary  advantage  is  crime  enough,  but  to  rob 
the  defenceless  dead — why  it  is  more  than  crime,  it  de 
grades  crime  !  " 

"Oh,  listen  to  me — just  a  word — don't  turn  away 
like  that.  Don't  go — don't  leave  me,  so — stay  one 
moment.  On  my  honor — " 

"  Oh,  on  your  honor  !  " 

"  On  my  honor  I  am  what  I  say !  And  I  will  prove 
it,  and  you  will  believe,  I  know  you  will.  I  will  bring 
you  a  message — a  cablegram — 

"When?" 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  247 

"  To-morrow — next  day— 

"  Signed  '  Rossmore '  ?  " 

"  Yes — signed  Rossmore." 

"  What  will  that  prove  ?  " 

"  What  will  it  prove  ?     What  sJiould  it  prove  ?" 

"  If  you  force  me  to  say  it — possibly  the  presence  of 
a  confederate  somewhere." 

This  was  a  hard  blow,  and  staggered  him.  He  said, 
dejectedly — 

"  It  is  true.  I  did  not  think  of  it.  Oh,  my  God,  I 
do  not  know  any  way  to  do;  I  do  everything  wrong. 
You  are  going  ? — and  you  won't  say  even  good-night 
—or  good-bye  ?  Ah,  we  have  not  parted  like  this  be 
fore." 

"  Oh,  I  want  to  run  and — no,  go,  now."  A  pause — 
then  she  said,  "  You  may  bring  the  message  when  it 
comes." 

"  Oh,  may  I  ?     God  bless  you." 

He  was  gone;  and  none  too  soon;  her  lips  were  al 
ready  quivering,  and  now  she  broke  down.  Through 
her  sobbings  her  words  broke  from  time  to  time. 

"  Oh,  he  is  gone.  I  have  lost  him,  I  shall  never  see 
him  any  more.  And  he  didn't  kiss  me  good-bye; 
never  even  offered  to  force  a  kiss  from  me,  and  he 
knowing  it  was  the  very,  very  last,  and  I  expecting  he 
would,  and  never  dreaming  he  would  treat  me  so  after 
all  we  have  been  to  eackother.  Oh,  oh,  oh,  oh,  what 
shall  I  do,  what  shall  I  do  !  He  is  a  dear,  poor,  miser 
able,  good-hearted,  transparent  liar  and  humbug,  butoh, 
I  do  love  him  so  !  "  After  a  little  she  broke  into  speech 
again.  "  How  dear  he  is  !  and  I  shall  miss  him  so,  I 
shall  miss  him  so!  Why  woiit  he  ever  think  to  forge 


248  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

a  message  and  fetch  it  ? — but  no,  he  never  will,  he 
never  thinks  of  anything;  he's  so  honest  and  simple  it 
wouldn't  ever  occur  to  him.  Oh,  what  did  possess  him 
to  think  he  could  succeed  as  a  fraud — and  he  hasn't 
the  first  requisite  except  duplicity  that  I  can  see.  Oh, 
dear,  I'll  go  to  bed  and  give  it  all  up.  Oh,  I  wish  I 
had  told  him  to  come  and  tell  me  whenever  he  didn't 
get  any  telegram — and  now  it's  all  my  own  fault  if  I 
never  see  him  again.  How  my  eyes  must  look  !  " 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

NEXT  day,  sure  enough,  the  cablegram  didn't  come. 
This  was  an  immense  disaster;  for  Tracy  couldn't  go 
into  the  presence  without  that  ticket,  although  it  wasn't 
going  to  possess  any  value  as  evidence.  But  if  the 
failure  of  the  cablegram  on  that  first  day  maybe  called 
an  immense  disaster,  where  is  the  dictionary  that  can 
turn  out  a  phrase  sizeable  enough  to  describe  the 
tenth  day's  failure  ?  Of  course  every  day  that  the  ca 
blegram  didn't  come  made  Tracy  all  of  twenty-four 
hours'  more  ashamed  of  himself  than  he  was  the  day 
before,  and  made  Sally  fully  twenty-four  hours  more 
certain  than  ever  that  he  not  only  hadn't  any  father 
anywhere,  but  hadn't  even  a  confederate — and  so  it  fol 
lowed  that  he  was  a  double-dyed  humbug  and  couldn't 
be  otherwise. 

These  were  hard  days  for  Barrow  and  the  art  firm. 
All  these  had  their  hands  full,  trying  to  comfort 
Tracy.  Barrow's  task  was  particularly  hard,  because 
he  was  made  a  confidant  in  full,  and  therefore  had  to 
humor  Tracy's  delusion  that  he  had  a  father,  and  that 
the  father  was  an  earl,  and  that  he  was  going  to  send 
a  cablegram.  Barrow  early  gave  up  the  idea  of  trying 
to  convince  Tracy  that  he  hadn't  any  father,  because 
this  had  such  a  bad  effect  on  the  patient,  and  worked 
up  his  temper  to  such  an  alarming  degree.  He  had 


250  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

tried,  as  an  experiment,  letting  Tracy  think  he  had  a 
father;  the  result  was  so  good  that  he  went  further, 
with  proper  caution,  and  tried  letting  him  think  his 
father  was  an  earl;  this  wrought  so  well,  that  he  grew 
bold,  and  tried  letting  him  think  he  had  two  fathers,  if 
he  wanted  to,  but  he  didn't  want  to,  so  Barrow  with 
drew  one  of  them  and  substituted  letting  him  think  he 
was  going  to  get  a  cablegram — which  Barrow  judged 
he  wouldn't,  and  was  right;  but  Barrow  worked  the 
cablegram  daily  for  all  it  was  worth,  and  it  was  the 
one  thing  that  kept  Tracy  alive;  that  was  Barrow's 
opinion. 

And  these  were  bitter  hard  days  for  poor  Sally,  and 
mainly  delivered  up  to  private  crying.  She  kept  her 
furniture  pretty  damp,  and  so  caught  cold,  and  the 
dampness  and  the  cold  and  the  sorrow  together  under 
mined  her  appetite,  and  she  was  a  pitiful  enough  ob 
ject,  poor  thing.  Her  state  was  bad  enough,  as  per 
statement  of  it  above  quoted;  but  all  the  forces  of  nature 
and  circumstance  seemed  conspiring  to  make  it  worse 
—and  succeeding.  For  instance,  the  morning  after 
her  dismissal  of  Tracy,  Hawkins  and  Sellers  read  in 
the  associated  press  dispatches  that  a  toy  puzzle  called 
Pigs  in  the  Clover,  had  come  into  sudden  favor  within 
the  past  few  weeks,  and  that  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  all  the  populations  of  all  the  States  had  knocked 
off  work  to  play  with  it,  and  that  the  business  of  the 
country  had  now  come  to  a  standstill  by  consequence; 
that  judges,  lawyers,  burglars,  parsons,  thieves,  mer 
chants,  mechanics,  murderers,  women,  children,  babies 
— everybody,  indeed,  could  be  seen  from  morning  till 
midnight,  absorbed  in  one  deep  project-  and  purpose, 


THE  A  M ERICA  N  CLA  IMA  NT.  2  5  I 

and  only  one — to  pen  those  pigs,  work  out  that  puzzle 
successfully;  that  all  gayety,  all  cheerfulness  had  de 
parted  from  the  nation,  and  in  its  place  care,  preoccu 
pation  and  anxiety  sat  upon  every  countenance,  and 
all  faces  were  drawn,  distressed,  and  furrowed  with  the 
signs  of  age  and  trouble,  and  marked  with  the  still 
sadder  signs  of  mental  decay  and  incipient  madness; 
that  factories  were  at  work  night  and  day  in  eight 
cities,  and  yet  to  supply  the  demand  for  the  puzzle  was 
thus  far  impossible.  Hawkins  was  wild  with  joy,  but 
Sellers  was  calm.  Small  matters  could  not  disturb  his 
serenity.  He  said— 

"That's  just  the  way  things  go.  A  man  invents  a 
thing  which  could  revolutionize  the  arts,  produce 
mountains  of  money,  and  bless  the  earth,  and  who  will 
bother  with  it  or  show  any  interest  in  it  ? — and  so  you 
are  just  as  poor  as  you  were  before.  But  you  invent 
some  worthless  thing  to  amuse  yourself  with,  and 
would  throw  it  away  if  let  alone,  and  all  of  a  sudden 
the  whole  world  makes  a  snatch  for  it  and  out  crops 
a  fortune.  Hunt  up  that  Yankee  and  collect,  Hawkins 
—half  is  yours,  you  know.  Leave  me  to  potter  at  my 
lecture." 

This  was  a  temperance  lecture.  Sellers  was  head 
chief  in  the  Temperance  camp,  and  had  lectured,  now 
and  then  in  that  interest,  but  had  been  dissatisfied  with 
his  efforts;  wherefore  he  was  now  about  to  try  a  new 
plan.  After  much  thought  he  had  concluded  that  a 
main  reason  why  his  lectures  lacked  fire  or  something, 
was,  that  they  were  too  transparently  amateurish; 
that  is  to  say,  it  was  probably  too  plainly  perceptible 
that  the  lecturer  was  trying  to  tell  people  about  the 


252  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT, 

horrid  effects  of  liquor  when  he  didn't  really  know 
anything  about  those  effects  except  from  hearsay, 
since  he  had  hardly  ever  tasted  an  intoxicant  in  his 
life.  His  scheme,  now,  was  to  prepare  himself  to  speak 
from  bitter  experience.  Hawkins  was  to  stand  by  with 
the  bottle,  calculate  the  doses,  watch  the  effects,  make 
notes  of  results,  and  otherwise  assist  in  the  prepara 
tion.  Time  was  short,  for  the  ladies  would  be  along 
about  noon — that  is  to  say,  the  temperance  organiza 
tion  called  the  Daughters  of  Siloam — and  Sellers  must 
be  ready  to  head  the  procession. 

The  time  kept  slipping  along — Hawkins  did  not  re 
turn — Sellers  could  not  venture  to  wait  longer;  so  he 
attacked  the  bottle  himself,  and  proceeded  to  note  the 
effects.  Hawkins  got  back  at  last;  took  one  compre 
hensive  glance  at  the  lecturer,  and  went  down  and 
headed  off  the  procession.  The  ladies  were  grieved  to 
hear  that  the  champion  had  been  taken  suddenly  ill 
and  violently  so,  but  glad  to  hear  that  it  was  hoped  he 
would  be  out  again  in  a  few  days. 

As  it  turned  out,  the  old  gentleman  didn't  turn  over 
or  show  any  signs  of  life  worth  speaking  of  for  twenty- 
four  hours.  Then  he  asked  after  the  procession,  and 
learned  what  had  happened  about  it.  He  was  sorry; 
said  he  had  been  "  fixed  "  for  it.  He  remained  abed 
several  days,  and  his  wife  and  daughter  took  turns  in 
sitting  with  him  and  ministering  to  his  wants.  Often 
he  patted  Sally's  head  and  tried  to  comfort  her. 

"  Don't  cry,  my  child,  don't  cry  so;  you  know  your 
old  father  did  it  by  mistake  and  didn't  mean  a  bit  of 
harm;  you  know  he  wouldn't  intentionally  do  anything 
to  make  you  ashamed  for  the  world;  you  know  he  was 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  2  S3 

trying  to  do  good  and  only  made  the  mistake  through 
ignorance,  not  knowing  the  right  doses  and  Washing- 
ington  not  there  to  help.  Don't  cry  so,  dear,  it  breaks 
my  old  heart  to  see  you,  and  think  I've  brought  this 
humiliation  on  you  and  you  so  dear  to  me  and  so  good. 
I  won't  ever  do  it  again,  indeed  I  won't;  now  be  com 
forted,  honey,  that's  a  good  child." 

But  when  she  wasn't  on  duty  at  the  bedside  the  cry 
ing  went  on  just  the  same;  then  the  mother  would  try 
to  comfort  her,  and  say — 

"  Don't  cry,  dear,  he  never  meant  any  harm;  it  was 
all  one  of  those  happens  that  you  can't  guard  against 
when  you  are  trying  experiments,  that  way.  You  see 
/don't  cry.  It's  because  I  know  him  so  well.  I  could 
never  look  anybody  in  the  face  again  if  he  had  got  into 
such  an  amazing  condition  as  that  a-purpose;  but  bless 
you  his  intention  was  pure  and  high,  and  that  makes 
the  act  pure,  though  it  was  higher  than  was  necessary. 
We're  not  humiliated,  dear,  he  did  it  under  a  noble 
impulse  and  we  don't  need  to  be  ashamed.  There, 
don't  cry  any  more,  honey." 

Thus,  the  old  gentleman  was  useful  to  Sally,  during 
several  days,  as  an  explanation  of  her  tearfulness.  She 
felt  thankful  to  him  for  the  shelter  he  was  affording  her, 
but  often  said  to  herself,  <(  It's  a  shame  to  let  him  see 
in  my  cryings  a  reproach — as  if  he  could  ever  do  any 
thing  that  could  make  me  reproach  him  !  But  I  can't 
confess;  I've  got  to  go  on  using  him  for  a  pretext,  he's 
the  only  one  I've  got  in  the  world,  and  I  do  need  one 
so  much." 

As  soon  as  Sellers  was  out  again,  and  found  that 
stacks  of  money  had  been  placed  in  bank  for  him  and 


254  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

Hawkins  by  the  Yankee,  he  said,  '"  Now  we'll  soon 
see  who's  the  Claimant  and  who's  the  Authentic.  I'll 
just  go  over  there  and  warm  up  that  House  of  Lords." 
During  the  next  few  days  he  and  his  wife  were  so  busy 
with  preparations  for  the  voyage  that  Sally  had  all 
the  privacy  she  needed,  and  all  the  chance  to  cry  that 
was  good  for  her.  Then  the  old  pair  left  for  New  York 
— and  England. 

Sally  had  also  had  a  chance  to  do  another  thing. 
That  was,  to  make  up  her  mind  that  life  was  not  worth 
living  upon  the  present  terms.  If  she  must  give  up  her 
impostor  and  die,  doubtless  she  must  submit;  but  might 
she  not  lay  her  whole  case  before  some  disinterested 
person,  first,  and  see  if  there  wasn't  perhaps  some  sav 
ing  way  out  of  the  matter  ?  She  turned  this  idea  over 
in  her  mind  a  good  deal.  In  her  first  visit  with  Haw 
kins  after  her  parents  were  gone,  the  talk  fell  upon 
Tracy,  and  she  was  impelled  to  set  her  case  before  the 
statesman  and  take  his  counsel.  So  she  poured  out 
her  heart,  and  he  listened  with  painful  solicitude.  She 
concluded,  pleadingly,  with — 

"  Don't  tell  me  he  is  an  impostor.  I  suppose  he  is, 
but  doesn't  it  look  to  you  as  if  he  isn't  ?  You  are  cool, 
you  know,  and  outside;  and  so,  maybe  it  can  look  to 
you  as  if  he  isn't  one,  when  it  can't  to  me.  Doesrit  it 
look  to  you  as  if  he  isn't  ?  Couldn't  you — can't  it  look 
to  you  that  way — for — for  my  sake  ?  " 

The  poor  man  was  troubled,  but  he  felt  obliged  to 
keep  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  truth.  He  fought  around 
the  present  detail  a  little  while,  then  gave  it  up  and 
said  he  couldn't  really  see  his  way  to  clearing  Tracy. 

"  No,"  he  said,   "  the  truth  is,  he's  an  impostor." 


AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  255 

"  That  is,  you — you  feel  a  little  certain,  but  not  en 
tirely — oh,  not  entirely,  Mr.  Hawkins  !  " 

"  It's  a  pity  to  have  to  say  it — I  do  hate  to  say  it,— 
but  I  don't  think  anything  about  it,  I  know  he's  an  im 
postor." 

"  Oh,  now,  Mr.  Hawkins,  you  cant  go  that  far.  A 
body  cant  really  know  it,  you  know.  It  isn't  proved 
that  he's  not  what  he  says  he  is." 

Should  he  come  out  and  make  a  clean  breast  of  the 
whole  wretched  business  ?  Yes — at  least  the  most  of 
it — it  ought  to  be  done.  So  he  set  his  teeth  and  went 
at  the  matter  with  determination,  but  purposing  to 
spare  the  girl  one  pain — that  of  knowing  that  Tracy 
was  a  criminal. 

"  Now  I  am  going  to  tell  you  a  plain  tale;  one  not 
pleasant  for  me  to  tell  or  for  you  to  hear,  but  we've  got 
to  stand  it.  I  know  all  about  that  fellow;  and  I  know 
he  is  no  earl's  son." 

The  girl's  eyes  flashed,  and  she  said: 

"  I  don't  care  a  snap  for  that — go  on  !  " 

This  was  so  wholly  unexpected  that  it  at  once  ob 
structed  the  narrative;  Hawkins  was  not  even  sure  that 
he  had  heard  aright.  He  said— 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  quite  understand.  Do  you  mean 
to  say  that  if  he  was  all  right  and  proper  otherwise 
you'd  be  indifferent  about  the  earl  part  of  the  business  ? " 

"  Absolutely." 

"You'd  be  entirely  satisfied  with  him  and  wouldn't 
care  for  his  not  being  an  earl's  son, — that  being  an  earl's 
son  wouldn't  add  any  value  to  him  ?  " 

"Not  the  least  value  that  I  would  care  for.  Why, 
Mr.  Hawkins,  I've  gotten  over  all  that  day-dreaming 


256  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

about  earldoms  and  aristocracies  and  all  such  nonsense 
and  am  become  just  a  plain  ordinary  nobody  and  con 
tent  with  it;  and  it  is  to  him  I  owe  my  cure.  And  as 
to  anything  being  able  to  add  a  value  to  him,  nothing 
can  do  that.  He  is  the  whole  world  to  me,  just  as  he 
is;  he  comprehends  all  the  values  there  are — then  how 
can  you  add  one  ?  " 

"  She's  pretty  far  gone."  He  said  that  to  himself. 
He  continued,  still  to  himself,  "  I  must  change  my  plan 
again;  I  can't  seem  to  strike  one  that  will  stand  the 
requirements  of  this  most  variegated  emergency  five 
minutes  on  a  stretch.  Without  making  this  fellow  a 
criminal,  I  believe  I  will  invent  a  name  and  a  character 
for  him  calculated  to  disenchant  her.  If  it  fails  to  do 
it,  then  I'll  know  that  the  next  rightest  thing  to  do  will 
be  to  help  her  to  her  fate,  poor  thing,  not  hinder  her." 
Then  he  said  aloud: 

"  Well,  Gwendolen—" 

"  I  want  to  be  called  Sally." 

"  I'm  glad  of  it;  I  like  it  better,  myself.  Well,  then, 
I'll  tell  you  about  this  man  Snodgrass." 

"  Snodgrass  !     Is  that  his  name  ?  " 

"  Yes — Snodgrass.     The  other's  his  nom  de  plume." 

"  It's  hideous  !  " 

"  I  know  it  is,  but  we  can't  help  our  names." 

"  And  that  is  truly  his  real  name — and  not  Howard 
Tracy  ? " 

Hawkins  answered,  regretfully— 

"  Yes,  it  seems  a  pity." 

The  girl  sampled  the  name  musingly,  once  or 
twice — 

"Snodgrass.     Snodgrass.     No,  I  could   not  endure 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

that.  I  could  not  get  used  to  it.  No,  I  should  call  him 
by  his  first  name.  What  is  his  first  name  ?  " 

"  His — er — his  initials  are  S.  M." 

"  His  initials  ?  I  don't  care  anything  about  his  ini 
tials.  I  can't  call  him  by  his  initials.  What  do  they 
stand  for  ? " 

"  Well,  you  see,  his  father  was  a  physician,  and  he — 
he — well  he  was  an  idolater  of  his  profession,  and  he — 
well,  he  was  a  very  eccentric  man,  and — 

"  What  do  they  stand  for  !  What  are  you  shuffling 
about  ? " 

"  They — well  they  stand  for  Spinal  Meningitis.  His 
father  being  a  phy— 

"I  never  heard  such  an  infamous  name !  Nobody 
can  ever  call  a  person  that — a  person  they  love.  I 
wouldn't  call  an  enemy  by  such  a  name.  It  sounds  like 
an  epithet."  After  a  moment,  she  added  with  a  kind 
of  consternation,  "  Why,  it  would  be  my  name  !  Letters 
would  come  with  it  on." 

"  Yes — Mrs.  Spinal  Meningitis  Snodgrass." 

"  Don't  repeat  it — don't;  I  can't  bear  it.  Was  the 
father  a  lunatic  ?  " 

"  No,  that  is  not  charged." 

''I  am  glad  of  that,  because  that  is  transmissible. 
What  do  you  think  was  the  matter  with  him,  then  ?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  really  know.  The  family  used  to  run 
a  good  deal  to  idiots,  and  so,  maybe — 

"  Oh,  there  isn't  any  maybe  about  it.  This  one  was 
an  idiot." 

"  Well,  yes — he  could  have  been.   He  was  suspected." 

"  Suspected  !"  said  Sally,  with  irritation.  "Would 
one  suspect  there  was  going  to  be  a  dark  time  if  he  saw 


258  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

the  constellations  fall  out  of  the  sky  ?  But  that  is 
enough  about  the  idiot,  I  don't  take  any  interest  in 
idiots;  tell  me  about  the  son." 

"  Very  well,  then,  this  one  was  the  eldest,  but  not 
the  favorite.  His  brother,  Zylobalsamum — 

"  Wait — give  me  a  chance  to  realize  that.  It  is  per 
fectly  stupefying.  Zylo — what  did  you  call  it  ?" 

"  Zylobalsamum." 

"  I  never  heard  such  a  name.  It  sounds  like  a  dis 
ease.  Is  it  a  disease  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  it's  a  disease.  It's  either  Scrip 
tural  or — 

"  Well,  it's  not  Scriptural." 

"Then  it's  anatomical.  I  knew  it  was  one  or  the 
other.  Yes,  I  remember,  now,  it  is  anatomical.  It's  a 
ganglion — a  nerve  centre — it  is  what  is  called  the  zylo- 
balsamum  process." 

"  Well,  go  on;  and  if  you  come  to  any  more  of  them, 
omit  the  names;  they  make  one  feel  so  uncomfortable." 

"Very  well,  then.  As  I  said,  this  one  was  not  a 
favorite  in  the  family,  and  so  he  was  neglected  in  every 
way,  never  sent  to  school,  always  allowed  to  associate 
with  the  worst  and  coarsest  characters,  and  so  of  course 
he  has  grown  up  a  rude,  vulgar,  ignorant,  dissipated 
ruffian,  and— 

"  He  ?  It's  no  such  thing  !  You  ought  to  be  more 
generous  than  to  make  such  a  statement  as  that  about 
a  poor  young  stranger  who — who — why,  he  is  the  very 
opposite  of  that  !  He  is  considerate,  courteous,  oblig 
ing,  modest,  gentle,  refined,  cultivated — oh,  for  shame  ! 
how  can  you  say  such  things  about  him  ? " 

"I  don't  blame  you,  Sally — indeed  I  haven't  a  word 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  259 

of  blame  for  you  for  being  blinded  by  your  affection — 
blinded  to  these  minor  defects  which  are  so  manifest 
to  others  who — 

"  Minor  defects  ?  Do  you  call  these  minor  defects  ? 
What  are  murder  and  arson,  pray  ? " 

"  It  is  a  difficult  question  to  answer  straight  off — and 
of  course  estimates  of  such  things  vary  with  environ 
ment.  With  us,  out  our  way,  they  would  not  neces 
sarily  attract  as  much  attention  as  with  you,  yet  they 
are  often  regarded  with  disapproval— 

"  Murder  and  arson  are  regarded  with  disapproval  ?" 

'(Oh,  frequently." 

"  With  disapproval.  Who  are  those  Puritans  you 
are  talking  about?  But  wait — how  did  you  come  to 
know  so  much  about  this  family  ?  Where  did  you  get 
all  this  hearsay  evidence  ?  " 

"  Sally,  it  isn't  hearsay  evidence.  That  is  the  serious 
part  of  it.  I  knew  that  family — personally." 

This  was  a  surprise. 

"  You  ?     You  actually  knew  them  ?  " 

"  Knew  Zylo,  as  we  used  to  call  him,  and  knew  his 
father,  Dr.  Snodgrass.  I  didn't  know  your  own  Snod- 
grass,  but  have  had  glimpses  of  him  from  time  to 
time,  and  I  heard  about  him  all  the  time.  He  was  the 
common  talk,  you  see,  on  account  of  his — 

"  On  account  of  his  not  being  a  house-burner  or  an 
assassin,  I  suppose.  That  would  have  made  him  com 
monplace.  Where  did  you  know  these  people  ?  " 

"  In  Cherokee  Strip." 

"  Oh,  how  preposterous  !  There  are  not  enough 
people  in  Cherokee  Strip  to  give  anybody  a  reputation, 
good  or  bad.  There  isn't  a  quorum.  Why  the  whole 


260  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

population  consists  of  a  couple  of  wagon  loads  of  horse 
thieves." 

Hawkins  answered  placidly — 

"  Our  friend  was  one  of  those  wagon  loads." 

Sally's  eyes  burned  and  her  breath  came  quick  and 
fast,  but  she  kept  a  fairly  good  grip  on  her  anger  and 
did  not  let  it  get  the  advantage  of  her  tongue.  The 
statesman  sat  still  and  waited  for  developments.  He 
was  content  with  his  work.  It  was  as  handsome  a 
piece  of  diplomatic  art  as  he  had  ever  turned  out,  he 
thought;  and  now,  let  the  girl  make  her  own  choice. 
He  judged  she  would  let  her  spectre  go;  he  hadn't  a 
doubt  of  it  in  fact;  but  anyway,  let  the  choice  be  made, 
and  he  was  ready  to  ratify  it  and  offer  no  further  -hin 
drance. 

Meantime  Sally  had  thought  her  case  out  and  made 
up  her  mind.  To  the  major's  disappointment  the  ver 
dict  was  against  him.  Sally  said: 

"  He  has  no  friend  but  me,  and  I  will  not  desert  him 
now.  I  will  not  marry  him  if  his  moral  character  is 
bad;  but  if  he  can  prove  that  it  isn't,  I  will — and  he 
shall  have  the  chance.  To  me  he  seems  utterly  good 
and  dear;  I've  never  seen  anything  about  him  that 
looked  otherwise — except,  of  course,  his  calling  him 
self  an  earl's  son.  Maybe  that  is  only  vanity,  and  no 
real  harm,  when  you  get  to  the  bottom  of  it.  I  do  not 
believe  he  is  any  such  person  as  you  have  painted  him. 
I  want  to  see  him.  I  want  you  to  find  him  and  send 
him  to  me.  I  will  implore  him  to  be  honest  with  me, 
and  tell  me  the  whole  truth,  and  not  be  afraid." 

"  Very  well;  if  that  is  your  decision  I  will  do  it. 
But  Sally,  you  know,  he's  poor,  and— 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  26  I 

"  Oh,  /  don't  care  anything  about  that.  That's 
neither  here  nor  there.  Will  you  bring  him  to  me  ?  " 

"  I'll  do  it.     When  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dear,  it's  getting  toward  dark,  now,  and  so 
you'll  have  to  put  it  off  till  morning.  But  you  will  find 
him  in  the  morning,  wont  you  ?  Promise." 

"  I'll  have  him  here  by  daylight." 

"  Oh,  now  you're  your  own  old  self  again — and  love 
lier  than  ever ! " 

"  I  couldn't  ask  fairer  than   that.     Good-bye,  dear." 

Sally  mused  a  moment  alone,  then  said  earnestly, 
"  I  love  him  in  spite  of  his  name  !  "  and  went  about  her 
affairs  with  a  light  heart. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

HAWKINS  went  straight  to  the  telegraph  office  and 
disburdened  his  conscience.  He  said  to  himself, 
"  She's  not  going  to  give  this  galvanized  cadaver  up, 
that's  plain.  Wild  horses  can't  pull  her  away  from  him. 
I've  done  my  share;  it's  for  Sellers  to  take  an  innings, 
now."  So  he  sent  this  message  to  New  York: 

"  Come  back.  Hire  special  train.  She's  going  to 
marry  the  materializee" 

Meantime  a  note  came  to  Rossmore  Towers  to  say 
that  the  Earl  of  Rossmore  had  just  arrived  from  Eng 
land,  and  would  do  himself  the  pleasure  of  calling  in 
the  evening.  Sally  said  to  herself,  "  It  is  a  pity  he 
didn't  stop  in  New  York;  but  it's  no  matter;  he  can 
go  up  to-morrow  and  see  my  father.  He  has  come 
over  here  to  tomahawk  papa,  very  likely — or  buy  out 
his  claim.  This  thing  would  have  excited  me,  a  while 
back;  but  it  has  only  one  interest  for  me  now,  and  only 
one  value.  I  can  say  to — to — Spine,  Spiny,  Spinal — I 
don't  like  any  form  of  that  name  ! — I  can  say  to  him 
to-morrow,  'Don't  try  to  keep  it  up  any  more,  or  1 
shall  have  to  tell  you  whom  I  have  been  talking  with 
last  night,  and  then  you  will  be  embarrassed.'  " 

Tracy  couldn't  know  he  was  to  be  invited  for  the 
morrow,  or  he  might  have  waited.  As  it  was,  he  was 
too  miserable  to  wait  any  longer;  for  his  last  hope— a 


262 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  263 

letter — had  failed  him.  It  was  fully  due  to-day;  it  had 
not  come.  Had  his  father  really  flung  him  away  ?  It 
looked  so.  It  was  not  like  his  father,  but  it  surely 
looked  so.  His  father  was  a  rather  tough  nut,  in  truth, 
but  had  never  been  so  with  his  son — still,  this  impla 
cable  silence  had  a  calamitous  look.  Anyway,  Tracy 
would  go  to  the  Towers  and — then  what  ?  He  didn't 
know;  his  head  was  tired  out  with  thinking — he  wouldn't 
think  about  what  he  must  do  or  say — let  it  all  take  care 
of  itself.  So  that  he  saw  Sally  once  more,  he  would  be 
satisfied,  happen  what  might;  he  wouldn't  care. 

He  hardly  knew  how  he  got  to  the  Towers,  or  when. 
He  knew  and  cared  for  only  one  thing — he  was  alone 
with  Sally.  She  was  kind,  she  was  gentle,  there 
was  moisture  in  her  eyes,  and  a  yearning  something 
in  her  face  and  manner  which  she  could  not  wholly 
hide — but  she  kept  her  distance.  They  talked.  Bye 
and  bye  she  said — watching  his  downcast  countenance 
out  of  the  corner  of  her  eye— 

"  It's  so  lonesome — with  papa  and  mamma  gone.  I 
try  to  read,  but  I  can't  seem  to  get  interested  in  any 
book.  I  try  the  newspapers,  but  they  do  put  such  rub 
bish  in  them.  You  take  up  a  paper  and  start  to  read 
something  you  think's  interesting,  and  it  goes  on  and 
on  and  on  about  how  somebody — well,  Dr.  Snodgrass, 
for  instance — " 

Not  a  movement  from  Tracy,  not  the  quiver  of  a 
muscle.  Sally  was  amazed — what  command  of  himself 
he  must  have  !  Being  disconcerted,  she  paused  so  long 
that  Tracy  presently  looked  up  wearily  and  said— 

-Well  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  thought  you  were  not  listening.    Yes,  it  goes 


264  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

on  and  on  about  this  Doctor  Snodgrass,  till  you  are  so 
tired,  and  then  about  his  younger  son — tJie  favorite  son 
— Zylobalsamum  Snodgrass — 

Not  a  sign  from  Tracy,  whose  head  was  drooping 
again.  What  supernatural  self-possession  !  Sally  fixed 
her  eye  on  him  and  began  again,  resolved  to  blast  him 
out  of  his  serenity  this  time  if  she  knew  how  to  apply 
the  dynamite  that  is  concealed  in  certain  forms  of  words 
when  those  words  are  properly  loaded  with  unexpected 
meanings. 

"  And  next  it  goes  on  and  on  and  on  about  the  eld 
est  son — not  the  favorite,  this  one — and  how  he  is  neg 
lected  in  his  poor  barren  boyhood,  and  allowed  to  grow 
up  unschooled,  ignorant,  coarse,  vulgar,  the  comrade 
of  the  community's  scum,  and  become  in  his  completed 
manhood  a  rude,  profane,  dissipated  ruffian — 

That  head  still  drooped  !  Sally  rose,  moved  softly 
and  solemnly  a  step  or  two,  and  stood  before  Tracy 
—his  head  came  slowly  up,  his  meek  eyes  met  her  in 
tense  ones — then  she  finished  with  deep  impressive- 
ness — 

" — named  Spinal  Meningitis  Snodgrass  !" 

Tracy  merely  exhibited  signs  of  increased  fatigue. 
The  girl  was  outraged  by  this  iron  indifference  and  cal 
lousness,  and  cried  out — 

"  What  are  you  made  of? " 

"I?     Why?" 

"  Haven't  you  any  sensitiveness  ?  Don't  these  things 
touch  any  poor  remnant  of  delicate  feeling  in  you  ?  " 

"  N-no,"  he  said  wonderingly,  "they  don't  seem  to. 
Why  should  they  ? " 

"  O,  dear  me,  how  can   you   look  so  innocent,  and 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  265 

foolish,  and  good,  and  empty,  and  gentle,  and  all  that, 
right  in  the  hearing  of  such  things  as  those  !  Look  me 
in  the  eye — straight  in  the  eye.  There,  now  then,  an 
swer  me  without  a  flinch.  Isn't  Doctor  Snodgrass  your 
father,  and  isn't  Zylobalsamum  your  brother,"  [here 
Hawkins  was  about  to  enter  the  room,  but  changed  his 
mind  upon  hearing  these  words,  and  elected  for  a  walk 
down  town,  and  so  glided  swiftly  away],  "and  isn't 
your  name  Spinal  Meningitis,  and  isn't  your  father  a 
doctor  and  an  idiot,  like  all  the  family  for  generations, 
and  doesn't  he  name  all  his  children  after  poisons  and 
pestilences  and  abnormal  anatomical  eccentricities  of 
the  human  body  ?  Answer  me,  some  way  or  somehow 
— and  quick.  Why  do  you  sit  there  looking  like  an  en 
velope  without  any  address  on  it  and  see  me  going 
mad  before  your  face  with  suspense  !  " 

"  Oh,  I  wish  I  could  do — do — I  wish  I  could  do  some 
thing,  anything  that  would  give  you  peace  again  and 
make  you  happy;  but  I  know  of  nothing — I  know  of  no 
way.  I  have  never  heard  of  these  awful  people  before." 

"What?     Say  it  again!" 

"  I  have  never — never  in  my  life  till  now." 

"  Oh,  you  do  look  so  honest  when  you  say  that!  It 
must  be  true — surely  you  couldn't  look  that  way,  you 
wouldn't  look  that  way  if  it  were  not  true — would  you  ? " 

"  I  couldn't  and  wouldn't.  It  is  true.  Oh,  let  us 
end  this  suffering — take  me  back  into  your  heart  and 
confidence — 

"Wait — one  more  thing.  Tell  me  you  told  that 
falsehood  out  of  mere  vanity  and  are  sorry  for  it;  that 
you're  not  expecting  to  ever  wear  the  coronet  of  an 
earl—  " 


266 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


"  Truly  I  am  cured — cured  this  very  day — I  am  not 
expecting  it  !  " 

"  O,  now  you  are  mine  !  I've  got  you  back  in  the 
beauty  and  glory  of  your  unsmirched  poverty  and  your 
honorable  obscurity,  and  nobody  shall  ever  take  you 
from  me  again  but  the  grave  !  And  if —  " 

"  De  earl  of  Rossmore,  fum  Englan'  !  " 


MY    FATHER  !" 


"My  father!"  The  young  man  released  the  girl 
and  hung  his  head. 

The  old  gentleman  stood  surveying  the  couple — the 
one  with  a  strongly  complimentary  right  eye,  the  other 
with  a  mixed  expression  done  with  the  left.  This  is 
difficult,  and  not  often  resorted  to.  Presently  his  face 
relaxed  into  a  kind  of  constructive  gentleness,  and  he 
said  to  his  son — 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  26  J 

"  Don't  you  think  you  could  embrace  me,  too?  " 

The  young  man  did  it  with  alacrity. 

"  Then  you  are  the  son  of  an  earl,  after  all,"  said 
Sally,  reproachfully. 

-Yes,  I—" 

"  Then  I  won't  have  you  !  " 

"  O,  but  you  know— 

"  No,  I  will  not.     You've  told  me  another  fib." 

"  She's  right.  Go  away  and  leave  us.  I  want  to 
talk  with  her." 

Berkeley  was  obliged  to  go.  But  he  did  not  go  far. 
He  remained  on  the  premises.  At  midnight  the  con 
ference  between  the  old  gentleman  and  the  young  girl 
was  still  going  blithely  on,  but  it  presently  drew  to  a 
close,  and  the  former  said — 

"  I  came  all  the  way  over  here  to  inspect  you,  my 
dear,  with  the  general  idea  of  breaking  off  this  match 
if  there  were  two  fools  of  you,  but  as  there's  only  one, 
you  can  have  him  if  you'll  take  him." 

"  Indeed  I  will,  then  !     May  I  kiss  you  ? " 

"  You  may.  Thank  you.  Now  you  shall  have  that 
privilege  whenever  you  are  good." 

Meantime  Hawkins  had  long  ago  returned  and 
slipped  up  into  the  laboratory.  He  was  rather  discon 
certed  to  find  his  late  invention,  Snodgrass,  there.  The 
news  was  told  him:  that  the  English  Rossmore  was 
come,  "  and  I'm  his  son,  Viscount  Berkeley,  not  How 
ard  Tracy  any  more." 

Hawrkins  was  aghast.     He  said — 

"  Good  gracious,  then  you're  dead  !  " 

-Dead?" 

"  Yes,  you  are — we've  got  your  ashes." 


268  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

"  Hang  those  ashes,  I'm  tired  of  them;  I'll  give  them 
to  my  father." 

Slowly  and  painfully  the  statesman  worked  the  truth 
into  his  head  that  this  was  really  a  flesh  and  blood 
young  man,  and  not  the  insubstantial  resurrection  he 
and  Sellers  had  so  long  supposed  him  to  be.  Then  he 
said  with  feeling — 

"  I'm  so  glad;  so  glad  on  Sally's  account,  poor 
thing.  We  took  you  for  a  departed  materialized  bank 
thief  from  Tahlequah.  This  will  be  a  heavy  blow  to 
Sellers."  Then  he  explained  the  whole  matter  to 
Berkeley,  who  said — 

"  Well,  the  Claimant  must  manage  to  stand  the 
blow,  severe  as  it  is.  But  he'll  get  over  the  disap 
pointment." 

11  Who — the  colonel  ?  He'll  get  over  it  the  minute 
he  invents  a  new  miracle  to  take  its  place.  And  he's 
already  at  it  by  this  time.  But  look  here — what  do 
you  suppose  became  of  the  man  you've  been  represent 
ing  all  this  time  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  saved  his  clothes — it  was  all  I 
could  do.  I  am  afraid  he  lost  his  life." 

"  Well,  you  must  have  found  twenty  or  thirty  thou 
sand  dollars  in  those  clothes,  in  money  or  certificates 
of  deposit." 

"  No,  I  found  only  five  hundred  and  a  trifle.  I  bor 
rowed  the  trifle  and  banked  the  five  hundred." 

"  What'll  we  do  about  it  ?  " 

"  Return  it  to  the  owner." 

"  It's  easy  said,  but  not  easy  to  manage.  Let's  leave 
it  alone  till  we  get  Sellers's  advice.  And  that  reminds 
me.  I've  got  to  run  and  meet  Sellers  and  explain  who 


(TJKIVE: 

SI  />         02>- 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT.  269 

you  arc  not  and  who  you  are,  or  he'll  come  thundering 
in  here  to  stop  his  daughter  from  marrying  a  phantom. 
But — suppose  your  father  came  over  here  to  break  off 
the  match  ?  " 

"  Well,  isn't  he  down  stairs  getting  acquainted  with 
Sally  ?  That's  all  safe." 

So  Hawkins  departed  to  meet  and  prepare  the  Sel- 
lerses. 

Rossmore  Towers  saw  great  times  and  late  hours 
during  the  succeeding  week.  The  two  earls  were  such 
opposites  in  nature  that  they  fraternized  at  once.  Sel 
lers  said  privately  that  Rossmore  was  the  most  extraor 
dinary  character  he  had  ever  met — a  man  just  made 
out  of  the  condensed  milk  of  human  kindness,  yet  with 
the  ability  to  totally  hide  the  fact  from  any  but  the 
most  practised  character-reader;  a  man  whose  whole 
being  was  sweetness,  patience  and  charity,  yet  with  a 
cunning  so  profound,  an  ability  so  marvelous  in  the  act 
ing  of  a  double  part,  that  many  a  person  of  considerable 
intelligence  might  live  with  him  for  centuries  and  never 
suspect  the  presence  in  him  of  these  characteristics. 

Finally  there  was  a  quiet  wedding  at  the  Towers, 
instead  of  a  big  one  at  the  British  embassy,  with  the 
militia  and  the  fire  brigades  and  the  temperance  or 
ganizations  on  hand  in  torchlight  procession,  as  at  first 
proposed  by  one  of  the  earls.  The  art-firm  and  Bar 
row  were  present  at  the  wedding,  and  the  tinner  and 
Puss  had  been  invited,  but  the  tinner  was  ill  and  Puss 
was  nursing  him — for  they  were  engaged. 

The  Sellerses  were  to  go  to  England  with  their  new 
allies  for  a  brief  visit,  but  when  it  was  time  to  take  the 
train  from  Washington,  the  colonel  was  missing. 


270 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


Hawkins  was  going  as  far  as  New  York  with  the  party, 
and  said  he  would  explain   the  matter  on  the  road. 


"FINALLY    THERE    WAS    A    QUIET    WEDDING    AT    THE    TOWERS." 

The  explanation  was  in  a  letter  left  by  the  colonel  in 
Hawkins's  hands.  In  it  he  promised  to  join  Mrs.  Sel 
lers  later,  in  England,  and  then  went  on  to  say: 


THE  A  M  ERIC  A  N  CLA  IMA  NT. 


The  truth  is,  my  dear  Hawkins,  a  mighty  idea  has  been  born 
to  me  within  the  hour,  and  I  must  not  even  stop  to  say  good 
bye  to  my  dear  ones.  A  man's  highest  duty  takes  preced 
ence  of  all  minor  ones,  and  must  be  attended  to  with  his  best 
promptness  and  energy,  at  whatsoever  cost  to  his  affections  or 
his  convenience.  And  first  of  all  a  man's  duties  is  his  duty  to 
his  own  honor  —  he  must  keep  that  spotless.  Mine  is  threatened. 
When  I  was  feeling  sure  of  my  imminent  future  solidity,  I  for 
warded  to  the  Czar  of  Russia  —  perhaps  prematurely  —  an  offer 
for  the  purchase  of  Siberia,  naming  a  vast  sum.  Since  then  an 
episode  has  warned  me  that  the  method  by  which  I  was  expect 
ing  to  acquire  this  money  —  materialization  upon  a  scale  of  limit 
less  magnitude  —  is  marred  by  a  taint  of  temporary  uncertainty. 
His  imperial  majesty  may  accept  my  offer  at  any  moment.  If 
this  should  occur  now,  I  should  find  myself  painfully  embarrassed, 
in  fact  financially  inadequate.  I  could  not  take  Siberia.  This 
would  become  known,  and  my  credit  would  suffer. 

Recently  my  private  hours  have  been  dark  indeed,  but  the 
sun  shines  again,  now;  I  see  my  way;  I  shall  be  able  to  meet  my 
obligation,  and  without  having  to  ask  an  extension  of  the  stipu 
lated  time,  I  think.  This  grand  new  idea  of  mine  —  the  sub- 
limest  I  have  ever  conceived,  will  save  me  whole,  I  am  sure.  I 
am  leaving  for  San  Francisco  this  moment,  to  test  it,  by  the  help 
of  the  great  Lick  telescope.  Like  all  of  my  more  notable  dis 
coveries  and  inventions,  it  is  based  upon  hard,  practical  scien 
tific  laws;  all  other  bases  are  unsound  and  hence  untrustworthy. 

In  brief,  then,  I  have  conceived  the  stupendous  idea  of  reor 
ganizing  the  climates  of  the  earth  according  to  the  desire  of  the 
populations  interested.  That  is  to  say,  I  will  furnish  climates  to 
order,  for  cash  or  negotiable  paper,  taking  the  old  climates  in 
part  payment,  of  course,  at  a  fair  discount,  where  they  are  in 
condition  to  be  repaired  at  small  cost  and  let  out  for  hire  to  poor 
and  remote  communities  not  able  to  afford  a  good  climate  and 
not  caring  for  an  expensive  one  for  mere  display.  My  studies 
have  convinced  me  that  the  regulation  of  climates  and  the  breed 
ing  of  new  varieties  at  will  from  the  old  stock  is  a  feasible  thing. 
Indeed  I  am  convinced  that  it  has  been  done  before;  done  in 


272  THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 

prehistoric  times  by  now  forgotten  and  unrecorded  civilizations. 
Everywhere  I  find  hoary  evidences  of  artificial  manipulation  of 
climates  in  bygone  times.  Take  the  glacial  period.  Was  that 
produced  by  accident?  Not  at  all;  it  was  done  for  money.  I 
have  a  thousand  proofs  of  it,  and  will  some  day  reveal  them. 

I  will  confide  to  you  an  outline  of  my  idea.  It  is  to  utilize 
the  spots  on  the  sun — get  control  of  them,  you  understand,  and 
apply  the  stupendous  energies  which  they  wield  to  beneficent 
purposes  in  the  reorganizing  of  our  climates.  At  present  they 
merely  make  trouble  and  do  harm  in  the  evoking  of  cyclones 
and  other  kinds  of  electric  storms;  but  once  under  humane  and 
intelligent  control  this  will  cease  and  they  will  become  a  boon 
to  man. 

I  have  my  plan  all  mapped  out,  whereby  I  hope  and  expect  to 
acquire  complete  and  perfect  control  of  the  sun-spots,  also  de 
tails  of  the  method  whereby  I  shall  employ  the  same  commer 
cially;  but  I  will  not  venture  to  go  into  particulars  before  the 
patents  shall  have  been  issued.  I  shall  hope  and  expect  to  sell 
shop-rights  to  the  minor  countries  at  a  reasonable  figure  and 
supply  a  good  business  article  of  climate  to  the  great  empires  at 
special  rates,  together  with  fancy  brands  for  coronations,  battles 
and  other  great  and  particular  occasions.  There  are  billions  of 
money  in  this  enterprise,  no  expensive  plant  is  required,  and  I 
shall  begin  to  realize  in  a  few  days — in  a  few  weeks  at  furthest. 
I  shall  stand  ready  to  pay  cash  for  Siberia  the  moment  it  is  de 
livered,  and  thus  save  my  honor  and  my  credit.  I  am  confident 
of  this. 

I  would  like  you  to  provide  a  proper  outfit  and  start  north  as 
soon  as  I  telegraph  you,  be  it  night  or  be  it  day.  I  wish  you  to 
take  up  all  the  country  stretching  away  from  the  north  pole  on 
all  sides  for  many  degrees  south,  and  buy  Greenland  and  Iceland 
at  the  best  figure  you  can  get  now  while  they  are  cheap.  It  is 
my  intention  to  move  one  of  the  tropics  up  there  and  transfer 
the  frigid  zone  to  the  equator.  I  will  have  the  entire  Arctic 
Circle  in  the  market  as  a  summer  resort  next  year,  and  will  use 
the  surplusage  of  the  old  climate,  over  and  above  what  can  be 
utilized  on  the  equator,  to  reduce  the  temperature  of  opposition 


THE  AMERICAN  CLAIMANT. 


273 


resorts.  But  I  have  said  enough  to  give  you  an  idea  of  the  pro 
digious  nature  of  my  scheme  and  the  feasible  and  enormously 
profitable  character  of  it.  I  shall  join  all  you  happy  people  in 
England  as  soon  as  I  shall  have  sold  out  some  of  my  principal 
climates  and  arranged  with  the  Czar  about  Siberia. 

Meantime,  watch  for  a  sign  from  me.  Eight  days  from  now, 
we  shall  be  wide  asunder;  for  I  shall  be  on  the  border  of  the 
Pacific,  and  you  far  out  on  the  Atlantic,  approaching  England. 
That  day,  if  I  am  alive  and  my  sublime  discovery  is  proved  and 
established,  I  will  send  you  greeting,  and  my  messenger  shall 
deliver  it  where  you  are,  in  the  solitudes  of  the  sea;  for  I  will 
waft  a  vast  sun-spot  across  the  disk  like  drifting  smoke,  and  you 
will  know  it  for  my  love-sign,  and  will  say  "  Mulberry  Sellers 
throws  us  a  kiss  across  the  universe." 


APPENDIX. 

WEATHER  FOR  USE  IN  THIS  BOOK. 


Selected  from  the  Best  Authorities. 


A  brief  though  violent  thunderstorm  which  had  raged  over 
the  city  was  passing  away;  but  still,  though  the  rain  had  ceased 
more  than  an  hour  before,  wild  piles  of  dark  and  coppery  clouds, 
in  which  a  fierce  and  rayless  glow  was  laboring,  gigantically 
overhung  the  grotesque  and  huddled  vista  of  dwarf  houses,  while 
in  the  distance,  sheeting  high  over  the  low,  misty  confus-ion  of 
gables  and  chimneys,  spread  a  pall  of  dead,  leprous  blue,  suffused 
with  blotches  of  dull,  glistening  yellow,  and  with  black  plague- 
spots  of  vapor  floating  and  faint  lightnings  crinkling  on  its  sur 
face.  Thunder,  still  muttering  in  the  close  and  sultry  air,  kept 
the  scared  dwellers  in  the  street  within,  behind  their  closed 
shutters;  and  all  deserted,  cowed,  dejected,  squalid,  like  poor, 
stupid,  top-heavy  things  that  had  felt  the  wrath  of  the  summer 
tempest,  stood  the  drenched  structures  on  either  side  of  the  nar 
row  and  crooked  way,  ghastly  and  picturesque  under  the  giant 
canopy.  Rain  dripped  wretchedly  in  slow  drops  of  melancholy 
sound  from  their  projecting  eaves  upon  the  broken  flagging,  lay 
there  in  pools  or  trickled  into  the  swollen  drains,  where  the  fall 
en  torrent  sullenly  gurgled  on  its  way  to  the  river. — "  The  Bra- 
sen  Android" —  W.  D.  O'Connor. 

The  fiery  mid-March  sun  a  moment  hung 
Above  the  bleak  Judean  wilderness; 
Then  darkness  swept  upon  us,  and  't  was  night. 
— "  Easter -Eve  at  Kcrak-  Moab. " — Clinton  Scollard, 

275 


2  76  APPENDIX. 

The  quick-coming  winter  twilight  was  already  at  hand.  Snow 
was  again  falling,  sifting  delicately  down,  incidentally  as  it  were. 
— "Felicia" — Fanny  N.  D.  Murfree. 

Merciful  heavens!  The  whole  west,  from  right  to  left,  blazes 
up  with  a  fierce  light,  and  next  instant  the  earth  reels  and  quiv 
ers  with  the  awful  shock  of  ten  thousand  batteries  of  artillery. 
It  is  the  signal  for  the  Fury  to  spring — for  a  thousand  demons 
to  scream  and  shriek — for  innumerable  serpents  of  fire  to  writhe 
and  light  up  the  blackness. 

Now  the  rain  falls — now  the  wind  is  let  loose  with  a  terrible 
shriek — now  the  lightning  is  so  constant  that  the  eyes  burn,  and 
the  thunder-claps  merge  into  an  awful  roar,  as  did  the  800  can 
non  at  Gettysburg.  Crash !  Crash !  Crash !  It  is  the  cottonwood 
trees  falling  to  earth.  Shriek!  Shriek!  Shriek!  It  is  the  Demon 
racing  along  the  plain  and  uprooting  even  the  blades  of  grass. 
Shock!  Shock!  Shock!  It  is  the  Fury  flinging  his  fiery  bolts 
into  the  bosom  of  the  earth. — "  The  Demon  and  the  Fury'' — 
M.  Quad. 

Away  up  the  gorge  all  diurnal  fancies  trooped  into  the  wide 
liberties  of  endless  luminous  vistas  of  azure  sunlit  mountains  be 
neath  the  shining  azure  heavens.  The  sky,  looking  down  in 
deep  blue  placidities,  only  here  and  there  smote  the  water  to 
azure  emulations  of  its  tint. — "/«  the  Strangers  Country" — 
Charles  Egbert  Craddock. 

There  was  every  indication  of  a  dust-storm,  though  the  sun 
still  shone  brilliantly.  The  hot  wind  had  become  wild  and  ram 
pant.  It  was  whipping  up  the  sandy  coating  of  the  plain  in 
every  direction.  High  in  the  air  were  seen  whirling  spires  and 
cones  of  sand — a  curious  effect  against  the  deep-blue  sky.  Be 
low,  puffs  of  sand  were  breaking  out  of  the  plain  in  every  direc 
tion,  as  though  the  plain  were  alive  with  invisible  horsemen. 
These  sandy  cloudlets  were  instantly  dissipated  by  the  wind;  it 
was  the  larger  clouds  that  were  lifted  whole  into  the  air,  and  the 
larger  clouds  of  sand  were  becoming  more  and  more  the  rule. 

Alfred's  eye,  quickly  scanning  the  horizon,  descried  the  roof 


APPENDIX.  277 

of  the  boundary-rider's  hut  still  gleaming  in  the  sunlight.  He 
remembered  the  hut  well.  It  could  not  be  farther  than  four 
miles,  if  as  much  as  that,  from  this  point  of  the  track.  He  also 
knew  these  dust-storms  of  old ;  Bindarra  was  notorious  for  them. 
Without  thinking  twice,  Alfred  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and 
headed  for  the  hut.  Before  he  had  ridden  half  the  distance  the 
detached  clouds  of  sand  banded  together  in  one  dense  whirl 
wind,  and  it  was  only  owing  to  his  horse's  instinct  that  he  did 
not  ride  wide  of  the  hut  altogether;  for  during  the  last  half-mile 
he  never  saw  the  hut,  until  its  outline  loomed  suddenly  over  his 
horse's  ears;  and  by  then  the  sun  was  invisible. — "A  Bride 
from  the  Bush" 

It  rained  forty  days  and  forty  nights. — Genesis. 


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power."— The  Independent. 

"  Miss  Crim  is  a  writer  of  rare  dramatic  power,  and  her  relations  of  events 
in  the  old  and  new  South  are  full  of  fire,  picturesque  description,  and  dramatic 
situations.1" — Cincinnati  Commercial-Gazette. 

"  The  true  Crackers  are  of  Northern  Georgia,  and  Matt  Crim  is  as  much 
their  delineator  as  is  Miss  Murfree  the  chronicler  of  the  mountaineers  of  Ten 
nessee.1'—  New  York  Times. 


ADVENTURES  OF  A  FAIR  REBEL. 

By  Matt  Crim.  This  novel  is  the  record  of  a  deeply  passionate 
nature,  the  interest  in  whose  story  is  enhanced  by  her  devotion  to  a 
lover,  also  a  Southerner,  compelled  by  his  convictions  to  take  service 
in  the  Northern  army.  Striking  descriptions  of  the  campaign  in 
Georgia  and  the  siege  of  Atlanta  are  given.  With  a  frontispiece  by 
Dan  Beard.  Cloth,  8vo,  $1.00.  Paper,  50  cents. 

"  It  is  a  love  story  of  unusual  sweetness,  pathos,  and  candor."— Christian 
Union. 

"  We  advise  all  who  love  a  good,  pure  novel  to  read  '  The  Adventures  of  a 
Fair  Rebel.'  "—Atlanta  Herald. 

"  The  incidents  are  varied,  and  the  interest  is  never  allowed  to  flag  from 
opening  to  close  of  this  enjoyable  novel.1' — Philadelphia  Ledger. 

"  The  style  is  simple  and  straightforward,  with  fine  touches  here  and  there. 
.  .  .  The  showing  forth  of  the  best  aspects  on  both  sides  of  the  dreadful 
struggle  is  skilfully  done,  avoiding  false  sentiment,  and  maintaining  an  almost 
judicial  tone,  which  does  not,  however,  lessen  the  interest  of  the  story."— The 
Nation. 


THE  MASTER  OF  SILENCE.    A  "ROMANCE. 

By  Irving  Bacheller.  Readers  of  Mr.  Bacheller's  stories  and 
poems  in  the  magazines  will  look  with  interest  for  his  first  extended 
effort  in  fiction.  ("Fiction,  Fact,  and  Fancy  Series.")  Cloth,  12mo, 
75  cents. 


"  '  The  Master  of  Silence  '  is  the  first  novel  of  Mr.  Irving  Bacheller,  of  the 
newspaper  syndicate,  and  deals  in  a  striking  way  with  the  faculty  of  mind- 
reading." — New  York  World. 

"A  well-named  story  is  already  on  the  road  to  success.  .  .  .  Altogether 
the  story  is  a  strange  character  study,  full  of  suggestion,  earnest  in  moral 
purpose,  and  worthy  of  attention." — Cincinnati  Enquirer. 

"  There  is  no  let  up  in  the  intrigue  of  '  The  Master  of  Silence,1  and  there  is 
plot  and  action  enough  in  it  to  construct  a  book-case  full  of  novels  by  Howells 
and  James."— Cambridge  Tribune. 

GEORGIA  STORIES.    (In  Preparation.) 

By  Richard  Malcolm  Johnston,  author  of  "  Dukesborough 
Tales,"  etc.  Colonel  Johnston  has  selected  a  number  of  his  most 
characteristic  and  entertaining  stories,  now  first  published  in  book 
form,  for  a  volume  of  the  new  ''Fiction,  Fact,  and  Fancy  Series." 
Colonel  Johnston  is  easily  the  dean  of  Southern  men  of  letters,  and  the 
announcement  of  a  new  volume  from  his  pen  calls  for  no  further  com 
ment.  Cloth,  12mo,  75  cents. 

MOONBLIGHT,  AND  SIX  FEET  OP  ROMANCE. 

By  Dan  Beard.  In  "  Moonblight  "  the  artist-author  has  brought 
into  play  all  those  resources  of  humor,  imagination,  and  sarcasm  for 
which  he  is  so  well  known,  to  teach  under  the  guise  of  a  romance  the 
lesson  of  the  wrongs  inflicted  by  capital  on  labor.  In  the  light  of  re 
cent  events  at  the  Homestead  mills,  this  book  seems  to  have  been  pro 
phetic.  Illustrated  by  the  author.  Cloth,  8vo,  $1.00. 

"  A  strange  but  powerful  book." — Philadelphia  Bulletin. 

"  He  does  not  construct  a  Utopia  like  Bellamy;  the  reforms  he  proposes 
are  sensible  and  would  be  profitable,  if  greedy  capital  could  be  induced  to  con 
sider  and  try  them." — Springfield  Republican. 

"  It  is  a  witty,  gay,  poetical  book,  full  of  bright  things  and  true  things,  the 
seer  donning  a  jester's  garb  to  preach  in;  and  one  may  be  sure,  under  the 
shrug  and  the  smile,  of  the  keen  dart  aimed  at  pride,  prejudice,  self-seeking, 
injustice,  and  the  praise  for  whatsoever  is  beautiful  and  good."— Hartford 
Courant. 

THE  PRINCE  AND  THE  PAUPER.  A  TALE  FOR 
YOUNG  PEOPLE  OF  ALL  AGES. 

By  Mark  Twain.  New  popular  edition  of  this  "classic"  of 
American  fiction.  It  is  a  charming  romance  of  the  life  and  times  of 
Edward  VI.,  the  boy  king  of  England,  and  is  considered  by  many  to 
be  Mark  Twain's  best  work.  Pronounced  by  high  authorities  one  of 
the  best  child's  stories  ever  written.  Uniform  with  the  cheap  edition 
of  "Huckleberry  Finn."  Illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo,  $1.00. 


ADVENTURES    OF    HUCKLEBERRY    FINN.      (Tom 
Sawyer's  Comrade.) 

By  Mark  Twain.  New  cheap  edition  of  the  laughable  adven 
tures  of  Huck  Finn  and  a  runaway  slave  in  a  raft  journey  along  the 
Mississippi.  Contains  the  famous  description  of  a  Southern  feud. 
Illustrated  by  E.  W.  Kemble.  Cloth,  12mo,  $1.00. 

IVAN  THE  FOOL,  AND  OTHER  STORIES. 

By  Leo  Tolstoi.  Translated  direct  from  the  Russian  by  Count 
Norraikow,  with  illustrations  by  the  celebrated  Russian  artist,  Gribaye- 
doff.  Cloth,  12mo,  $1.00. 

"The  stories  in  this  volume  are  wonderfully  simple  and  pure.11 — Detroit 
Free  Press. 

"  As  creations  of  fancy  they  take  high  rank.11— Boston  Transcript. 

"  '  Ivan  the  Fool  "*  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  suggestive  of  Tolstoi^ 
fables,  and  the  work  of  translation  is  admirably  performed.11 — Chicago 
Standard. 

LIFE  IS  WORTH  LIVING,  AND  OTHER  STORIES. 

By  Leo  Tolstoi.  Translated  direct  from  the  Russian  by  Count 
Norraikow.  This  work,  unlike  some  of  his  later  writings,  shows  the 
great  writer  at  his  best.  The  stories,  while  entertaining  in  themselves, 
are  written  for  a  purpose,  and  contain  abundant  food  for  reflection. 
Illustrated.  Cloth,  12mo,  $1.00. 

MERRY  TALES. 

By  Mark  Twain.  The  opening  volume  of  the  new  "Fiction, 
Fact,  and  Fancy  Series."  Contains  some  of  the  author's  favorite 
sketches,  including  his  personal  reminiscences  of  the  war  as  given  in 
"The  Private  History  of  a  Campaign  that  Failed."  Cloth,  12nio, 
75  cents. 

"  Very  readable  and  amusing  tales  they  are." — New  York  Sun. 

"Thousands  will  welcome  in  permanent  form  these  delicious  bits  of 
humor.1' — Boston  Traveller. 

"  These  tales  are  now  brought  together  in  an  attractive  and  convenient 
volume  which  all  those  who  enjoy  the  author's  inimitable  humor  will  appreci 
ate.11—  Public  Opinion. 

"Some  of  these  stories  are  deep  with  pathos;  others  bubble  over  with 
humor.  All  of  them  are  intensely  interesting  and  readable  from  the  opening 
sentence  to  the  closing  line.11— New  Orleans  States. 


POETRY. 


SELECTED  POEMS  BY  WALT  WHITMAN. 

Chosen  and  edited   by  Arthur  Stedman. 
Shortly  before  Mr.  Whitman's  death,  the  old  poet 
for  the  first  time  consented  to  the  publication  of 
a  selection  from    "Leaves  of  Grass,"  embracing 
his  most  popular  short  poems  and  representative 
passages  from  his  longer  lyrical  efforts.    Arranged 
WALT  WHITMAN.        for  home  and  school  use.     With  a  portrait  of  the 
author.  ("Fiction,  Fact,  and  Fancy  Series.")    Cloth,  12mo,  75  cents. 

"  Mr.  Stedman's  choice  is  skilfully  made."— The  Nation. 

"  The  volume  represents  all  that  is  best  in  Walt  Whitman." — San  Fran 
cisco  Chronicle. 

"That  in  Walt  Whitman  which  is  virile  and  bardic,  lyrically  fresh  and 
sweet,  or  epically  grand  and  elemental,  will  be  preserved  to  the  edification  of 
young  men  and  maidens,  as  well  as  of  maturer  folk." — Hartford  Courant. 

"  The  intention  of  the  editor  has  been  to  offer  those  of  Whitman's  poems 
which  are  most  truly  representative  of  his  genius.  The  selections  have  been 
well  made,  and  those  who  have  yet  to  make  acquaintance  with  this  most  orig 
inal  of  American  poets  will  have  reason  to  thank  the  publishers  for  this  little 
volume." — Boston  Transcript. 

"  These  '  Selected  Poems '  will  go  a  long  way  toward  securing  for  the 
dead  poet  the  respectful  hearing  to  which  his  brilliant  talent  was  entitled."— 
Noah  Brooks  in  Newark  (N.  J.)  Advertiser. 

"The  present  selection  contains  those  of  Whitman's  poems  that  most  fully 
illustrate  his  genius,  his  wonderful  appreciation  of  the  soul  of  nature,  his 
hearty  and  wholesome  spirit  of  physical  and  mental  joyousness,  his  serene  tran 
quillity  in  old  age,  and  his  wide  and  generous  conception  of  American  life."— 
Providence  Journal. 

FLOWER  O'  THE  VINE :   ROMANTIC  BALLADS  AND 
SOSPIRI  DI  ROMA. 

By  William  Sharp,  author  of  "  A  Fellowe  and  His  Wife  "  (with 
Miss  Howard),  "Life  and  Letters  of  Joseph  Severn,"  etc.  With  an 
introduction  by  Thomas  A.  Janvier,  and  a  portrait  of  the  author.  As 


one  of  the  most  popular  of  the  younger  English  poets,  equal  success 
is  anticipated  for  this  first  American  edition  of  Mr.  Sharp's  poems. 
Its  welcome  in  the  American  press  has  been  most  hearty.  Tastefully 
bound,  with  appropriate  decorative  design.  Cloth,  8vo,  $1.50. 

"  This  volume  of  verse,  by  Mr.  William  Sharp,  has  a  music  like  that  of  the 
meeting  of  two  winds,  one  blown  down  from  the  Northern  seas,  keen  and  salty, 
the  other  carrying  on  its  wings  the  warm  fragrance  of  Southern  fields."— The 
Literary  World. 

"  These  old  ballads,  whether  in  Scottish  dialect  or  not,  are  transfused  with 
the  wild,  uncanny,  shivering  character  of  all  the  oid  myths  of  the  North,  a 
strange  pungent  chill,  so  to  speak,  as  if  the  breath  that  gave  them  voice  were 
blown  across  leagues  of  iceberg  and  glacier." — Chicago  Times. 

"  When  Mr.  Sharp  leaves  the  North  with  its  wild  stories  of  love  and  fight 
ing  and  death,  and  carries  us  away  with  him  in  the  "Sospiri  di  Roma"  to  the 
warmth  and  the  splendor  of  the  South,  he  equally  shows  the  creative  faculty. 
He  is  a  true  lover  of  Earth  with  her  soothing  touch  and  soft  caress,  he  lies  in 
her  arms,  he  hears  her  whispered  secret,  and  through  the  real  discovers  the 
spiritual.11— Philadelphia  Record. 

"  The  poems  combine  a  gracefulness  of  rhythm  and  a  subtle  sweetness." 
— Baltimore  American. 

"  The  author  makes  good  the  claim  of  his  friends  as  a  new  poet,  both  in 
originality  of  thought  and  a  unique  grace  of  expression." — San  Francisco 
Bulletin. 

"  The  impression  he  makes  is  that  of  a  strong  and  musical  singer,  who  can 
sing  in  many  keys.  His  themes,  in  the  present  volume,  are  limited  to  two  gen 
eral  fields;  one,  in  which  he  sings  in  the  ballad  form,  dealing  with  the  old 
myths  and  legends  of  the  land  of  his  ancestors — Scotland — and  its  rugged  hills 
and  wild  scenery  blend  with  the  narrative  of  yet  wilder,  more  witchlike  imag 
inings;  while  the  other,  in  fine  contrast,  breathes  only  Italian  airs.  They  are 
the  breezes  from  the  Mediterranean,  and  from  the  Apennines— airs  that 
breathe  over  the  Campagna  and  the  Roman  hills."— Hartford  Times. 


TRAVEL,  BIOGRAPHY,  AND  ESSAYS. 

THE     GERMAN     EMPEROR    AND     HIS     EASTERN 
NEIGHBORS. 

By  Poultney  Bigelow.  Cable  despatches  state  that  Mr. 
Bigelow  has  been  expelled  from  Russia  for  writing 
this  volume.  Interesting  personal  notes  of  his  old 
playmate's  boyhood  and  education  are  given,  to 
gether  with  a  description  of  the  Emperor's  army, 
his  course  and  policy  since  accession,  and  the  condi 
tion  of  affairs  on  the  Russian  and  Roumanian  fron 
tiers.  With  fine  portrait  of  William  II.  ("Fiction, 
Fact,  and  Fancy  Series.")  Cloth,  12mo,  75  cents. 

"  A  book  to  attract  immediate  and  close  attention." — Chicago  Times. 

"  An  interesting  contribution  to  evidence  concerning  Russia."— Springfield 
Republican. 

"  A  much-needed  correction  to  the  avalanche  of  abuse  heaped  upon  the 
German  Emperor." — Philadelphia  Inquirer. 

"  The  book  should  have  a  place  in  the  library  of  every  student  of  politics." 
—Boston  Pilot. 

PADDLES  AND  POLITICS  DOWN  THE  DANUBE. 

By  Poultney  Bigelow.  Companion  volume  to  "The  German 
Emperor."  A  highly  interesting  journal  of  a  canoe-voyage  down  "the 
Mississippi  of  Europe  "  from  its  source  to  the  Black  Sea,  with  descrip 
tions  of  the  resident  nations,  and  casual  discussions  of  the  political 
situation.  Illustrated  with  numerous  offhand  sketches  made  on  the 
spot  by  Mr.  Bigelow.  ("Fiction,  Fact,  and  Fancy  Series.")  Cloth, 
12mo,  75  cents. 

WRITINGS    OP    CHRISTOPHER    COLUMBUS.      (In 

Press.) 

Edited,  with  an  introduction,  by  Paul  Leicester  Ford.  Mr. 
Ford  has  for  the  first  time  collected  in  one  handy  volume  translations 
of  those  letters,  etc.,  of  Columbus  which  describe  his  experiences  in 
the  discovery  and  occupation  of  the  New  World.  "With  frontispiece 
Portrait.  ("  Fiction,  Fact,  and  Fancy  Series.")  Cloth,  12mo,  75  cents. 


UNDER  SUMMER  SKIES.    (In  Preparation.) 

By  Clinton  Scollard.  A  poet's  itinerary.  Professor  Scollard 
relates,  in  his  charming  literary  style,  the  episodes  of  a  rambling  tour 
through  Egypt,  Palestine,  Italy,  and  the  Alps.  The  text  is  inter 
spersed  with  poetical  interludes,  suggested  by  passing  events  and  scenes. 
Coming  nearer  home,  visits  to  Arizona  and  the  Bermudas  are  de 
scribed  in  separate  chapters.  The  volume  is  attractively  illustrated 
by  Margaret  Landers  Randolph,  and  is  most  suitable  as  a  traveling 
companion  or  as  a  picture  of  lands  beyond  the  reach  of  the  reader. 
Cloth,  8vo,  $1.00. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHIA.    (In  Press.) 

By  Walt  Whitman.  Edited  by  Arthur  Stedman.  The  story 
of  Whitman's  life,  told  in  his  own  words.  These  selected  passages 
from  Whitman's  prose  works,  chosen  with  his  approbation,  are  so 
arranged  as  to  give  a  consecutive  account  of  the  old  poet's  career  in 
his  own  picturesque  language.  Uniform  with  the  new  edition  of  Walt 
Whitman's  "  Selected  Poems."  ("Fiction,  Fact,  and  Fancy  Series.") 
Cloth,  12mo,  75  cents. 

LIFE  OP  JANE  WELSH  CARLYLE. 

By  Mrs.  Alexander  Ireland.  A  remarkable  biography  of 
a  wonderful  woman,  written  and  compiled  by  one  in  thorough  sympa 
thy  with  her  subject,  from  material  made  public  for  the  first  time. 
The  powerful  side-light  it  throws  upon  the  life  and  character  of 
Thomas  Carlyle  will  make  the  volume  indispensable  to  all  who  vener 
ate  the  genius,  or  are  interested  in  the  personality,  of  the  Sage  of  Chel 
sea.  Vellum,  cloth  (half  bound),  8vo,  $1.75. 

ESSAYS  IN  MINIATURE.    (In  Press.) 

By  Agnes  Repplier,  author  of  "  Points  of  View,"  etc.  A  new 
volume  of  this  brilliant  essayist's  writings,  in  which  she  discourses 
wittily  and  wisely  on  a  number  of  pertinent  topics.  No  new  essayist 
of  recent  years  has  been  received  with  such  hearty  commendation  in 
this  country  or  England.  ("Fiction,  Fact,  and  Fancy  Series.") 
Cloth,  12mo,  75  cents. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
or  on  the  date  to  •which  renewed.  Renewals  only: 

Tel.  No.  642-3405 

Renewals  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  date  due. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


ID    JttRlQ79-9flMoj; 


HOnl*" 


CIRCULATION  DHT, 


MAY  2  7  1996 


LD21A-40m-8,'71 
(P6572slO)476-A-32 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


